Up to �14.7 million has been set aside by Newham Council to build a new leisure centre the Atherton site in Stratford.
Plans to rebuild the Romford Road centre were agreed by Newham’s Cabinet.
Featuring new swimming facilities, a gym and space for fitness classes, work should begin in July next year with the new centre expected to open in January 2015.
Mayor Sir Robin Wales said of the present centre: “Our residents deserve a better, more accessible facility than the one we currently have. We want to invest money to genuinely improve the leisure facilities on offer to residents.
“Spending such large sums of money on repairs just to keep the building operational doesn’t add up. A new facility will be a better, more economical option, which serves the needs of Newham residents.”
The gym and free weights will remain open until the end of 2012, costing the council �190,000.
A Cabinet report, identifying asbestos-containing materials in the Atherton centre, suggested the rebuild was better value for money than maintaining the original structure – an idea refuted by the Save the Atherton Campaign.
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