Dulwich pool re-opening – the journey!
Dulwich Leisure Centre: Proudly Reopening After Essential Pool Works
After months of essential work behind the scenes, we’re delighted to announce that Dulwich Leisure Centre swimming pool is reopening on 15 October – restoring a much-loved community facility to full operation.
A building with history – and heart
Dulwich Leisure Centre first opened its doors over 120 years ago, and we’re proud that it continues to serve the Dulwich community today. With its unique heritage and loyal visitors, the Centre has always been a cornerstone for fitness, family fun, and wellbeing in South London.
What happened – and why we couldn’t have planned for it
In January this year, we noticed a decline in pool water quality and evidence of sand entering the water – a sign that the filter media was starting to fail.
Although a recent condition survey had shown the filters were in good shape, we began planning to replace the media as a preventative measure. However, on 22 March, the issue escalated quickly. Increasing amounts of sand were discharged into the pool, and visibility dropped to unsafe levels, meaning we could no longer lifeguard effectively. We made the difficult decision to close the pool immediately and begin replacing the filter media – a job we expected to take around four weeks.
Unfortunately, when our contractors attempted to recommission the filters in early April, two of the three filters failed completely. In simple terms, the filter shells themselves had collapsed – beyond repair – meaning replacement was the only option.
The delays – out of our hands
Our original plan was to reopen by late August. However, swimming pool filters are not off-the-shelf items; they had to be custom-built and shipped from America. Once they arrived, installation was delayed slightly due to the challenging conditions in the plant room.
While waiting for the new filters, our team made rapid adjustments to allow one of the remaining filters to operate safely, meaning we could offer limited swimming sessions and aqua aerobics over the summer to support the wellbeing of our members.
Supporting our swimmers during closure
We know how important swimming is to our local families and schools, so we worked hard to minimise disruption. Many of our swimming lesson customers were successfully transferred to Peckham Pulse Leisure Centre and Camberwell Leisure Centre so that learning and progress could continue during the closure.
Turning challenge into opportunity
While the pool was out of action, we took the opportunity to invest in wider improvements across Dulwich Leisure Centre, ensuring it continues to deliver an excellent experience for years to come.
Our upgrades include:
- Brand new microfiltration system – the latest technology, filtering particles for crystal-clear water and a more pleasant swim
- Uses 90% less water, 50% less energy, 30% fewer chemicals, and takes up 75% less space than the old system – supporting our carbon neutral goals
- Refreshed changing rooms – all showers have been replaced and upgraded with new accessibility rails and seats
- New pool toys and floats for our younger swimmers
Looking ahead
Although the journey has taken longer than anyone hoped, these improvements mean Dulwich Leisure Centre is now operating with a new state-of-the-art filtration system, improved sustainability, and refreshed facilities – ready to serve Southwark community for decades to come.
We’d like to thank all our members for their patience and understanding while the work was completed. We can’t wait to welcome you back for a swim soon.
