Plans to close Virgin Active Battle Close (off North Road Wimbledon).

[gazzalw]

Just wondering what your thoughts are about the proposal to close it down by this year end? Always seems to have been a hub for families and the wider local community. A pity in my opinion.

That would be a big disappointment as virgin has already sold off other nearby gyms and Worple road one is adults only. Where did you hear that information? I have been there only recently enquiring about the swimming classes and they did not mention any plans to close.

On another local online forum . Here's a statement made by Merton Council too. I think they had their hand forced to say something because initially local members/residents seemed to think it was the council's fault (rather than a Virgin Active led initiative).

Link didn't work - news.merton.gov.uk/2017/10/13/virgin-active-wimbledon-battle-close/

Great pity. I used to love that gym - only left it due to restricted opening hours because it's in a residential area.

Seems a great shame, very handy for the mums dropping off their kids at Garfield school and also the job losses that will come with the closure. Be interesting to know what will happen to the site unless the council intends to grab it and turn Garfield into a 3 form entry school of course?

Expect it will become another housing development, don't you?

Garfield already is three form entry in some lower down the school year groups isn't it? So it's unlikely to be that...

I suspect it was popular with local families but Virgin Active could have done much more to promote it as such.

Maybe it's 'suffered' from being relatively close to the much cheaper Better Wimbledon Leisure Centre and YMCA Wimbledon gym facilities?

Please help us collect digital signatures for petition to Merton Council to maintain the Battle Close venue as a family health club. Councillor Abdul Latif agreeed to take the petition to meeting with Merton Council. Deadline for signing Petition on Change.org is 12 November. Here is the link

Too late - apparently Merton Council has now approved the closure of Virgin Active on North Road. The official announcement is coming on Monday, 20 November. Not been given an official closing date as yet though.

Such a loss to the community :-(

Update - apparently it's closing on the 15 December.

It looks as if some local people are now thinking that this would be a much better site for the new Harris Academy Wimbledon than the High Path one currently earmarked for the new local secondary school. Think they could have a point. There seems to be a campaign gathering momentum.

Now getting my hopes up about the site being used for the new Harris Academy Wimbledon. Would be perfect

Virgin have closed lots of their's recently as they are generally too expensive. I found that nothing they offered suited me post-pregnancy.

I preferred to do specific classes, rather than the gym that I never seemed to utilise.