Brentford Fountain is expected to close in 2028, with the new centre open in 2031/32. There will be no wave machine, no flume and no public car park.
Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre is expected to close in 2028. Its replacement is not expected to open until 2031/32.
Hounslow Council gave those dates in the questions and answers on its project page. They were not in the news release it issued on 24 September, which announced the design team.
Both are marked as indicative and “subject to planning, procurement and the wider project programme”. On those dates, the site would have no leisure centre for about three to four years.
The centre sits at 658 Chiswick High Road, at the Kew Bridge end, and has been open since 1987. The council’s Cabinet report lists Chiswick Riverside among the three wards affected, with Brentford East and Brentford West.
What was announced this week
The council has appointed the consultancy AECOM, working with FaulknerBrowns Architects, to design the new centre and prepare a planning application. The council says that application is expected to be submitted in 2027.
The existing centre stays open for now, and no closure date has been set. The council’s answer to members asking whether to renew is “Yes”.
What the new centre will have
The brief the council is working to includes:
- a 25-metre, six-lane main pool with a moveable floor
- a separate learner pool, also with a moveable floor
- an interactive water-play and splash zone
- a four-court sports hall
- a “significantly larger” gym than now
- larger fitness studios with interactive spinning
- assisted fitness facilities
- a sauna and steam rooms
- larger, more accessible changing rooms
- soft play, a café, buggy parking and bookable community rooms
What it will not have
No wave machine, beach pool or flume. The council accepts these have been “much-loved features” and that some users will be disappointed. It says they need a lot of space and energy and cost more to build and run. The splash zone is its replacement for them.
No public car park. The council calls this “a significant change” for people who drive to the centre now. It points to London Plan and borough policy favouring car-free schemes on well-connected sites. There will be Blue Badge parking, servicing access and pick-up and drop-off arrangements. The detail will be in the transport assessment filed with the planning application.
Homes on the site, and what they pay for
Part of the site will be sold for housing. The council says the land sale is “an important part of the funding strategy” and will reduce what it has to borrow. It has not said how many homes.
The Cabinet report of 20 January 2026 is franker about the money than this week’s release. It says market testing suggests “the land receipts alone will not be sufficient” to pay for the new centre. Some council funding will be needed, which “may include” Community Infrastructure Levy, section 106 money, grants or borrowing.
The council says Cabinet approved the brief that January. The report also recorded that:
- Cabinet was asked to approve £4.353m from the council’s capital programme
- £4.053m of that is for the design team and advisers, through to a planning decision
- £300,000 is for priority repairs to keep the existing centre safe while it stays open
- the building was judged “beyond economical repair”, and refurbishing it would cost about as much as a new build
- the plan is a hybrid planning application: a detailed one for the leisure centre and an outline one for the homes
The full cost estimate sits in a confidential appendix. The report says a later Cabinet paper will set out the funding plan, the build timetable and a proposed closure date.
The option the council turned down
The report assessed three designs. A leisure centre with no pool was the only one that could be built at no net cost to the council. It was rejected because it would not meet local demand or public health needs, and because public engagement showed strong support for keeping a pool. A larger pool-and-gym centre was rejected for its higher running and borrowing costs.
The timetable has already slipped a little. The January report expected the design team to be appointed in May 2026. The appointment was announced on 24 September.
What it means for you
- If you are a member: the centre is open as normal and the council says renew. The council says Lampton Leisure, which runs it, will contact members “well in advance” of closure. Single-site members will be moved to a centre of their choice, and multi-site members can use any Lampton centre.
- During the closure: the council names New Chiswick Pool and Fitness and Isleworth Leisure Centre as the nearest alternatives. Schools, clubs and regular hirers will be contacted directly about moving their sessions.
- If you want a say: the second round of engagement runs from early October to late November 2026. There will be an exhibition at the centre, drop-in events and focus groups, with details on the Let’s Talk page. The council says this round covers detailed design, such as the learner pool, changing rooms, the café, public spaces, travel and the scale of the housing. It is not reopening the decision to rebuild, the approved brief or the principle of homes on the site.
- Later: there will be a formal planning consultation once the application goes in, expected in 2027. You can follow that on our Chiswick planning news page.
More than 900 people took part in the first round of engagement in 2024-25. The council says swimming, accessible fitness and family spaces came up most often. Its 2025 engagement report is on the old survey page.
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