A DECISION has been made over the future of a leisure centre.

Ladywell Leisure Centre is to be demolished after a new one is built at nearby Loampit Vale.

The decision was made at a council meeting on July 25.

It follows a consultation carried out from June 6 to July 4 with residents by phone, with groups who use the current centre, face-to-face interviews, primary schools and online.

They were offered a choice between demolishing the current centre in Lewisham High Street and rebuilding it on the same site or building a new centre in Loampit Vale, which is 1km away.

Deputy mayor Councillor Heidi Alexander says the consultation had been short but comprehensive and the results were "finely balanced".

Some people were concerned the current pool is 33.3m long, while the new one will only be 25m.

However, the council says the new pool will be more suitable for competitions and will be 4.5m wider.

Before the decision, Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock said: "The amount of people who want a new centre shows Ladywell is not the much-loved facility some people would have us believe."

Max Calo, secretary of the Save Ladywell Pool Campaign, said the consultation had been flawed for not offering the choice of refurbishing Ladywell Leisure Centre, which he claimed residents would have preferred.

He said: "The council decided long ago it wanted to build the new pool and refurbishment of Ladywell pool was rejected early on."

Mr Calo said the new centre would now be an addition to the Lewisham Gateway development and would be surrounded by blocks of flats, putting a strain on the facility from residents living there.

He said: "My main concern is whether the new pool will be big enough."

Ladywell Leisure Centre is expected to be open for a further two years while the new centre is being built.

Lewisham council was unable to give a figure for the cost of the development.