Summary of Funding to date

There seems to be some confusion about the time lines and allocation of funding for Camberwell Baths, so here is the history of what was awarded.

March 2009: £1.4m awarded by central Government's Free Swimming Fund.

May 2009: £1.5m awarded by Southwark Council (match funding), £576K awarded by the Southwark Youth Capital Fund, approx £500K awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, approx £500K allocated from section 106 money and other grants

All of the above monies were focused on pool refurbishment and wet side facilities

October 2009: further £500k awarded by Southwark Council to complete the gym and dryside facilities

March 2010: £52K from Cleaner Greener Safer (for Artichoke Place), £100K from London Marathon Charitable Trust (towards Warwick Hall)

October 2010: £50k from Play Sports London Facilities Fund (for gymnastics facilities in Warwick Hall)

The additional funding we are asking Southwark Council to award from the 2010/11 Capital Programmes fund. The funding would allow the completion of Phase 3 and would refurbish the 5 a side football area, specifically the roof which leaks badly. This area would be then be a multi use space for sports (football, badminton etc), leisure (music and theatrical performances, pop-up cinema, other performance arts events) and civic ( Olympics launch events, public meetings).

If the work can be completed in 2011, then Camberwell Leisure Centre will be a fantastic legacy project for the 2012 Olympics.

Public Meeting 3 November 2010

We will be holding a Public Meeting on Wednesday 3 November at 7pm at St Giles Church on Camberwell Church Street. The purpose of the meeting is to show the local community what work has been done so far, and to get their input on another matter. The work at Camberwell Baths is progressing well, but there are currently insufficient funds to complete the refurbishment of the Second Class Pool area (the sunken five a side football space), as well as the rear facade and public spaces at the front and rear of the building.

We hope that the Second Class Pool area could be refurbished for use as a multi-purpose space which can be used for a wide range of leisure activities from a pop-up cinema, to performance space for theatre, music and dance, to public debates, to boxing matches (or whatever else the community would like to see). Camberwell Baths were historically used for a wide variety of different activities beyond sport and swimming. This is an opportunity for a return to Camberwell Baths being a Leisure Centre in the widest sense of the term.

Funds could be made available from Southwark’s Capital Programme fund, which is intended for just this type of project. We would like to encourage the Executive members of the Council as well as our own local councillors to support the completion of the Camberwell Baths project, rather than leave it half finished. Decisions on allocation of the Capital Programme fund will be made in November or December, so the meeting has been called so that local people will have the opportunity to speak to councillors and voice their support.