A new multi-purpose leisure centre has been approved in the centre of Woolwich, replacing a run-down sports centre that was “hard to get to” on the edge of town.

The new development will also include a set of residential buildings, as well as a new community square and commercial space.

The new leisure centre will be located between Vincent Road and Wilmount Street, which is currently occupied by Viscount House and a former Wilko store.

The planning permission for the new development was approved by Greenwich Council’s planning board on Tuesday (September 20).

Woolwich Leisure Centre is set to replace the current Waterfront Leisure Centre, which sits north of Woolwich High Street, disconnected from the town centre.

Additional facilities in the new centre will include a spa, a splash pool, and more sports courts and swimming lanes.

Lucy Iziyah, a mother living with a health condition in Woolwich, said at the meeting that the current leisure centre is not accessible for disabled individuals.

Ms Iziyah said: “Our old leisure centre is of no good. I have been using it for 17 years and have three children who are also members of the leisure centre. “

She then went on to say: “Bringing the leisure centre to the centre of the community will bring not just a place for us to socialise, but also a place for us to have more of a wellbeing.”

The new set of residential buildings will include a total of 482 new apartments, built by the council’s development partner, The Hill Group.

Andy Hill, chief executive at The Hill Group, said: “This landmark scheme will deliver significant improvements to the built environment, which will benefit the mental and physical well-being of the local community.”

Waterfront Leisure Centre is planned to close upon completion of the new space, with last year’s local plan saying the old centre “has a detrimental impact on the surrounding area”.

Councillor Aidan Smith, cabinet member for regeneration, said at the meeting on Tuesday: “The new leisure centre will be hugely beneficial and far more viable than the Waterfront Leisure Centre for [Greenwich Leisure Limited] running it, because the Waterfront doesn’t have good facilities and is essentially falling down.”

Construction of the new leisure centre and additional facilities will begin early next year with the demolition of Viscount House on Vincent Road beginning in October.

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