‘Beautiful’ Kings Hall revamp could start next autumn, says council

An artist’s impression of the new mixed pool. Image: Hackney Council

Hackney Council has approved multimillion-pound plans to transform Kings Hall leisure centre in Clapton, which could see refurbishment begin by autumn 2025.

A new pool, sports hall, fitness suite, communal spaces and upgraded changing facilities are all included in the proposals, which are projected to cost the council over £71 million.

The Grade II-listed building will also get a new accessible entrance from Clapton Square.

Mayor of Hackney Caroline Woodley said: “We’re passionate about investing in our leisure facilities because we know how widely they are used by the community to enjoy exercise and keep healthy.

“We’ve worked closely with leisure centre users on these beautiful proposals to make sure we can protect what they love about the centre, and improve it with new facilities like a new teaching pool, a new two-court sports hall and an accessible entrance onto Clapton Square.

“I’m really excited to see the plans progress to their next stage.”

A council report said the works were essential as the 130-year-old building was in “extremely poor condition”, with repair costs set to rise steeply.

Without the refurbishment, which will “preserve its historical significance”, the centre would be likely to close permanently.

In a press release yesterday, the council stated it expects the works to begin in autumn 2025, with facilities reopening in autumn 2028.

In the meantime, people who use the facilities at Kings Hall will have their memberships transferred to another Better leisure centre in the borough.

The Town Hall also confirmed the investment will come from council capital funding, not day-to-day spending on key services.

“This is a really exciting decision—but it’s also a difficult one due to the financial challenges we and all councils face,” Mayor Woodley said of the revamp.

On Monday, the borough’s finance chief announced “huge” challenges to the council’s overall financial position, including an overspend on £21million driven by social care and tackling homelessness.

As a consequence of prioritising Kings Hall, proposals for a new teaching pool at London Fields Lido have been put on hold, the Mayor said.

She added that this was because the council had to focus on giving residents in east Hackney a leisure centre “fit for the future”.

The council report said that focusing on sport and physical activity had been key in making residents more active in recent years.

It stated that since the Olympics in 2012, Hackney has gone from the sixth-most inactive borough in the capital to the 19th-most inactive – “one of only two boroughs to make such progress”.

Despite putting some other leisure developments on hold, the council confirmed it will continue to prioritise investment in play, including an upgrade of the northern London Fields’ play area—following public engagement—in 2025/26.