Downham Health and leisure centre is open
Yesterday, the first leisure centre in Lewisham reopened as Downham Health & Leisure Centre welcomed customers for the first time in over four months.
We have been working closely with the team helping to make final preparations for the leisure centre to safely reopen. As we take the first tentative steps only the gym and aerobics will be available on a bookable basis and it is expected that the swimming pool will reopen on 10th August.
Some of us have been eagerly awaiting the moment when we can enjoy a swim, especially those families with children to entertain during the summer holidays. Others may not be so confident to go swimming or visit the gym just yet, as we slowly adjust to lockdown measures easing. Some of us have made radical changes to our leisure and exercise habits as we make more use of our parks and outdoor activities, which may be more appealing in the context of the pandemic. There’s a lot of uncertainty about how we all feel about returning to the pool with the new restrictions in place.
We will be carefully assessing demand from customers and how the centre at Downham operates within the government’s restrictions. We continue to make preparations for leisure centres across the borough to operate in line with COVID-19 Secure rules but we don’t have a fixed date for reopening yet.
As government rules allowing swimming pools to open safely came into effect on Saturday, Swim England said that less than 20% of pools were due to reopen last weekend. Coronavirus has brought significant financial challenges to operators as over 100 days of closure brought an abrupt stop to income whilst staff and maintenance costs continue.
Reopening indoor leisure centres presents a real challenge for operators and local authorities. Restrictions from government means that fewer people will be use the spaces at any one time, enhanced cleaning regimes must be in place and staff must be trained and equipped with suitable PPE. There is a cost attached to these important measures and coupled with the loss of income from fewer customers, we have decided to take a measured approach to exploring a phased reopening of our other leisure centres across the borough.
Public swimming pools up and down the country are in desperate need of financial help and the #SaveLeisure campaign presents sensible suggestions for a sustainable future for facilities.
Lewisham Council is absolutely committed to an accessible leisure offer for every one of our residents.
All of our outdoor gyms are open as are our other open air facilities including the tennis courts across the borough
The lake at Beckenham Place Park is open once more for outdoor swimming, but is operating with reduced hours and strict COVID-19 measures in place.
Over the coming weeks, we will monitor the situation closely with our leisure partners and observe customer behaviour to make an informed decision on our other centres.