Yes. The key aim of the refurbishments is to ensure that the leisure centre remains fit for purpose for many years to come, with major works being undertaken to the infrastructure to ensure this. No services will be lost and a new larger learning pool and 25m competitive length pool will be created. In addition, the council, together with the operator Mytime Active, are pleased to confirm there will be some new services introduced. New studios providing power assisted equipment will support those with mobility issues or those seeking rehabilitation and new changing places toilets and pool pods will be installed to support accessibility.

A survey of 3436 residents was carried out in March/April 2023 to inform the development of plans for the leisure centre. 70% of respondents were current users of the centre. The data below shows responses to the multiple-choice question "What would you consider important in a refurbished centre?"

Executive Summary

The results of the online surveys have been used to guide the development of plans for the Walnuts when forming the core requirements for the works.

The results for the Walnuts were similar to those of West Wickham in that studios, the gym, mind & body facilities, soft play, swimming pools and a café were identified as important to a large number of residents, which have all been considered through the works. In addition, children’s party rooms were recognised as important, which are noted to have been provided in the centre prior to the works.

Other high scoring responses were operational matters that are not related to refurbishment works, such as water inflatables, water-based classes and Wi Fi.

The engagement campaign also found that many users highlighted the lack of dry changing rooms on the ground floor and the poor quality of the wet changing rooms in their responses, which will also be addressed through the works.

Yes. Upgrades to the plant room will be delivered, including a new boiler/heating system. This work is a significant expense and is important to ensure the long-term running of the service.

There has been no diversion of funds from the Walnuts to West Wickham as a result of these new issues. New costs associated with the additional issues at West Wickham discovered during the survey work are being covered by a budget increase that has been agreed at Executive. Similarly, any further costs identified at one site during the works would not affect the budget at the other centre. It has always been envisaged that the cost of delivering infrastructure works at West Wickham would be higher than at the Walnuts. West Wickham is a standalone centre, and therefore requires more work to the fabric of the building, including replacement of the roof. The proportional split of spend on the 2 sites is 60 per cent on West Wickham and 40 per cent on Walnuts.

Priority had to be given to the structural and service works to ensure the centre is fit for purpose for the future.  While there are  funding constraints to this project, which were further limited by  inflation over recent years, as many improvements as possible will be included within the scope of the works. The council will also actively work with the operator, Mytime Active, to seek out other funding sources both during and after this project. If more funding can be identified, further enhancements will be explored.

This is a once in a generation opportunity to refurbish these leisure centres, so the council appointed Alliance Leisure Services, leading experts in the leisure centre industry, to get the very best service and value for residents. Residents should rest assured that the spatial planning, design and layouts have been carefully planned with leisure specialist architects and the local operator to ensure the best result is delivered.

A small area at the Walnuts Leisure Centre has been kept aside to allow for further development at a later date, which represents 3 per cent of the total public floor space at the centre. The council is actively working with Mytime Active to seek further funding that could support future works beyond the scope of this project, which could include bringing this area into use.

No, a separate heating system is being progressed for the remainder of the Walnuts site, with further updates to come on this in due course. This means the leisure centre will have its own standalone heating system following the works.

In Spring 2024, the council was successful in securing Public Sector Decarbonisation Funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. In total, over £6m was secured to provide carbon neutral energy systems for both leisure centres, helping ensure the centres are fit for the future.

The centre is scheduled to reopen in early 2026, however for all the latest build updates, please visit the latest news pages.

The final design hasn’t been made available just yet.  At this stage we don’t foresee any service or product being removed.  The main change is the teaching pool being moved into the main pool hall with the main pool reducing in size.  All other services and products are expected to remain.

For all enquiries regarding access to services during the build, your membership, or other exercise and activity related queries - we recommend you explore the mytimeactive FAQ pages regarding this build.

While Mytime Active have not yet determined their pricing strategy for 2026, there is not expected to be a significant price increase. Membership prices are set with consideration of all its centres and will continue to remain competitive across the borough. Mytime Active are a social enterprise and so will continue to reinvest all revenues, including membership fees, back into local services and facilities.

Full Changing Places facilities will be installed alongside pool pod access to the pools.

In line with many modern leisure centres, both facilities will move to a unisex ‘changing village’ model. These are changing areas with all private cubicles, replacing current open single sex changing spaces. This provides much more privacy and allows families to change together.

Yes. We have worked with specialist leisure consultants to ensure that locker and shower calculations accommodate for both current and future demand.

Bromley is proud to have many pool facilities in comparison to other boroughs, including the Pavilion Leisure Centre, Darrick Wood Pool, Biggin Hill Pool and The Spa Beckenham, all of which are accessible to all Mytime members and casual users. Mytime Active are delivering a comprehensive programme of alternative leisure services to minimise disruption during the closure period, which includes swimming lessons at Darrick Wood swimming pool. Residents are thanked for their cooperation during this time, with the short-term interruption in service being necessary to deliver the long-term benefit to pools and facilities.

Feedback from residents and swimming clubs indicated a strong desire for Bromley to have a competition length pool. UK competition standard pools are 25m in length. For spatial reasons, as well as user feedback, it was more pragmatic to provide this at the Walnuts as the West Wickham pool is deeper which allows for other activities, such as springboard diving and snorkelling.

There are benefits to having the two pools in the same room, which allows parents with children of different age groups to watch them all at the same time. This is in line with feedback received from residents and the preference of Mytime, Bromley’s leisure operator who have confirmed that the new layout will not affect current activities with some minor programming changes.