The New Westcroft Swimming Pool

This is the first look at Carshalton‘s new state-of-the-art swimming pool. The main pool at Westcroft Leisure Centre next door to The Grove Park will have eight lanes and be 25m in length to allow local swimming clubs to take part in competitions and galas, while there will also be a larger teaching pool. They form the centrepiece of the new Westcroft, which is currently undergoing a multi-million pound refurbishment. Since the centre closed in October 2011 to allow the revamp to get under way, a team of up to 50 workers have been busy on the project. Hundreds of tonnes of rubble have been removed, the old pools have been demolished and asbestos from the 1970s building has been carefully disposed of. Sports, gym and office equipment have also been dismantled to use in the new centre. Cllr Graham Tope, Sutton Council’s Executive Member for Community Safety, Leisure and Libraries, said: “It’s a major undertaking but the old Westcroft was tired and jaded and this revamp will create a facility which the whole community can use and be proud of. “The borough has needed a competition length pool like this for a long time and it will help our swimming clubs build on the considerable success they have achieved in the past.” The 600,000 users who visit Westcroft every year have transferred to the borough’s three other leisure centres, Cheam, Sutton Arena and the Phoenix Centre, as well as to Carshalton College, Sutton Junior Tennis Centre and Sutton High School. Cheam and Sutton Arena have received a £950,000 refurbishment at no cost to the taxpayer to help them cope with the extra demand while Westcroft is shut Next month the shell of the new Westcroft will begin to take shape as work steps up ahead of the completion of the project early next year. Sutton Council and its leisure contractor, Everyone Active, say the refurbishment is necessary after a condition report revealed millions would have to be spent just to keep it running. Other improvements include an eight badminton court-sized sports hall, a 170 workout station gym, a creche, café, IT facilities and a new library replacing the current Carshalton Library. Carshalton Library in The Square will remain open in its present building until the new library is ready to open. Jill, Alan and Hamish welcome this refurbishment/development scheme!