Olympic-sized swimming pool in Crystal Palace given green light for renovation by Sadiq Khan

Crystal Palace’s Olympic-sized swimming pool is to be reopened by London Mayor, Sadiq Khan - after almost two years shut.

The Mayor has faced a lot of public pressure to be reopen the pool, with a petition getting more than 42,000 signatures.

The pool had been shut since the first national lockdown in March 2020, after serious cracks were noticed at the base - and has not yet been reopened.

The Mayor is expected to give the green light for the facility to have a “comprehensive renovation”.

The Crystal Palace National Sports Centre also features a gym, trampolines and diving boards.

The centre, which had been open since 1964, is where five of team GB’s 12 diving stars at Tokyo 2020 first trained.

The petition to fund the repairs had more than 42,000 signatories.

Whilst the figures haven’t been released yet on how much it will cost to repair and a timeline hasn’t been announced, Mr Khan said he felt the frustration of the people “who love using the pools”.

Ellie Reeves, the Labour MP for Lewisham West and Penge, waged a persistent campaign to get the pools reopened.

She said: “After a tireless campaign driven by our local community, Sadiq Khan has committed to funding the renovations for the 50m pool and diving pool at Crystal Palace.

“We must now ensure that this is delivered on as soon as possible and get our pools reopened.”

Whilst her tweet was met with jubilation that the campaign had paid off, some remained skeptic concerning the time-frame.

One said: “Is there any indication on ‘when’ the 50m and diving pools will be repaired, or could this still be years away?”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London told LondonWorld: “The Mayor is committed to the comprehensive renovation of the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre so that it can be brought safely back into full use as soon as possible and deliver positive sporting, community, health and well-being outcomes for Londoners.

“Sadiq completely appreciates the frustration of all those who love using the pools and has asked his team to urgently contract a firm to plan and carry out the necessary renovation works, with the goal of maximising the time the pools are available for use.

“The National Sports Centre is a hugely important sporting and community facility for the capital and this decision will secure its future for decades to come.

“Further consultation on the development plans will be planned for the coming months, to ensure the local community, centre users and key stakeholders can fully input their views. This will build on the previous engagement work done to date and ensure the vision for the centre captures local aspirations.”

There is no indication yet as to when a time-frame will be announced, as the project and renovation has just been announced its expected to be in the coming weeks.