Hackney Council plans to knock down Britannia Leisure Centre.

We are a group of Hackney residents who want to protect our well loved facility, the Britannia. The Centre has a leisure pool with wave machine, as well as a multi sports hall, gym, squash courts, health suite, studio, outdoor pitches and courts and a climbing wall. Facilities that Hackney families and individuals of all ages have been enjoying for decades.

Hackney Council’s plans were to build a tower block of 176 luxury flats on the site.  Their consultation document of 5 December 2016 now proposes 400 luxury flats, including three tower blocks 18 - 24 storeys high, on the site and the neighbouring primary school playground.  They say they will include a school, plus a leisure centre - but with no guaranteed information about size, facilities, access, prices etc.  We say: let's keep what we have!

We believe Hackney Council should be providing the services current Hackney residents need and not planning to build yet more expensive housing, which will not help solve the housing crisis locally and will crowd out space for vital services for Hackney people.

While we watch Team GB win a record number of medals at the Olympics, why should the ordinary people of Hackney have their access to sport and leisure facilities removed?