EALING Council intends to modernise and refurbish Gurnell Leisure Centre, Peter Mason has said.

The leader of Ealing Council visited the leisure centre on Tuesday, July 20, to see the facilities and get an insight into the current state of the building and what its future looks like.

He said: "We know how much people love this leisure centre.

"We've known for a long time that Gurnell is well past its prime but I wanted to see it for myself.

"It's clear that it would take major work and investment to bring the centre up to a standard that would allow it to reopen safely and for local people to enjoy again.

"In fact we've been told by an independent assessor that to fully refurbish the building and extend the life of Gurnell Leisure Centre would cost in the region of £18million.

"That's a huge amount of money to find after a decade of austerity that's seen the government cut our budget by 64% since 2010.

"It would also need to stay closed for several years for that refurbishment to take place.

"The previous scheme for comprehensive regeneration of this site didn't get planning permission, so the centre is currently in limbo.

"Part of the site is also being used as a key COVID testing site for the north of our borough.

"But we have heard you – we know that local people want to see Gurnell Leisure Centre reopen – and so do we.

"While we can't commit to any specific schemes or plans right now, I can say that it is absolutely our intention to bring modern, fit for purpose swimming and sports facilities back to Gurnell.

"It will take some time to put plans together to make this happen, and as we strive to be an open, inclusive and transparent council, I wanted to assure you that we're invested in Gurnell's future too."