About the project
We are undertaking an improvement project at Seymour Centre.
The plans will provide new and enhanced facilities including an open plan gym, refurbished swimming pool, contemporary library, café, children’s soft play area and improved climbing wall whilst maintaining the building’s art deco features.
We will keep current users and local residents updated on the project.
Sign up to our new dedicated newsletter
You can get regular email updates regarding the redevelopment of the centre, by signing up to our new dedicated Seymour Centre newsletter.
For all future engagement updates regarding Seymour Centre, please visit: Seymour Centre - Project Team - Commonplace
Consultation information
You can still view all the consultation materials and a recording of one of our most recent webinars in the “Project Documentation” tab. We have also provided answers to some frequently asked questions below.
Please take a look at our 'frequently asked questions' for more information on the plans for Seymour Centre.
If you have any questions, please get in touch by emailing: SeymourProject@westminster.gov.uk or call us on 0800 092 0485.
- The refurbished Seymour Centre should be a thriving community hub providing a holistic range of services, respectful of its rich heritage but acknowledging the changing needs of its users.
- This will be more than a leisure centre. We are creating a flexible, agile, and integrated building which the community can use for a range of activities for years to come. We want to create a collaborative space which encourages a sense of community, bringing people together to connect whether they are here to exercise, work, learn or play.
- This project must benefit Westminster’s rich and varied communities, bringing a range of benefits for everyone. This includes making the building much more accessible so that anyone can navigate it without help, regardless of their mobility or other disabilities.
- Incorporating Marylebone Library and a new purpose-built Family Hub, as well as providing flexible spaces suitable for a range of uses, will help transform this from a Leisure Centre into a holistic community facility with something for everyone.
- However, this will still be an important place for sports and leisure in Westminster. We understand that the pool and sports uses are well-loved, and our proposals will enhance these, achieving a comprehensive improvement of the existing leisure facilities, including supporting facilities such as changing rooms.
- Refurbishing a Grade II Listed building and maintaining its core architectural features means that we must be creative and efficient in our design. Every part of the new centre must be functional and make the best use of limited space. We are committed to retaining the historic building and making sensitive, internal changes which enhance the building and its setting.
- It is essential that our investment into the Seymour Centre includes a marked improvement in the building’s energy efficiency and that this project takes the Council one step closer to achieving our ambition of carbon neutrality by 2040.
On 16 March 2021, the council held a meeting where it was confirmed that the Capital Budget for this project remains unchanged and is secured for the refurbishment of Seymour Centre.
The approach needs to be adapted to respond to a post COVID-19 environment and as such we need to revisit previous proposals with this in mind.
The past year has brought significant change to our services, in particular our leisure centres, with long periods of mandated closures, changes in demand and increased restrictions that have presented both operational and financial challenges. Our most immediate priority has been the reopening of leisure centres and libraries following the national lockdowns
The council is committed to delivering high-quality community spaces and services. We remain committed to taking this major project forward, to incorporate a new library and to provide better leisure and wider services for the local community.
October 2022
In June and July, we held consultation events to share early concepts of how the transformed Seymour Centre could look with the community. Thank you to everyone who engaged with us at these events.
We have summarised the feedback we received during this engagement in our August 2022 newsletter, which also shares more information about the next steps for the project and how you can continue to stay involved.
August 2022
Changes to the proposals based on your feedback
We have listened, changed and adapted the scheme and the future offer in light of these conversations. Read about the changes:
Watch a recording of this session.
2021 – Initial Architectural Ideas and Appointments
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March – Westminster Council commits to the Seymour Leisure Centre project, incorporating the Marylebone library.
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May – Make Architects appointed to design initial ideas for the refurbishment.
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July – A webinar is held with local residents to discuss early thoughts on the refurbishment.
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September – A survey is launched, gathering input from over 640 local residents and users regarding refurbishment preferences.
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September – Make Architects appointed as the official architects for the project.
2022 – Consultation and Engagement
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January–February – Two online webinars are held to present survey findings and provide project updates, attended by over 200 people.
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May – Meetings with user groups and workshops to gather requirements for the new centre.
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June – Consultation on early design proposals, with over 160 attendees and 50 feedback forms collected.
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September – Consultation on developed design proposals, attended by 141 people with 121 surveys returned.
2023 – Planning Approval and Design Phase
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July – Planning approval received.
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July – Contractor appointed for the design phase.
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Summer – Completion of the design phase.
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August – Preferred Delivery Partner (WDC) appointed.
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December – Webinar held by Westminster Council and Everyone Active to update user groups of the timetable regarding movements of exercise classes.
2024 – Closure and On-Site Work Start
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January – Completion of design phase.
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February – Closure event for the public.
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June – Building clear out.
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June – WDC works commence:
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Demolition and strip out exercise including swimming pool and 15.5 tonnes of timber.
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Removal of the old pool tank.
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Removal of non-structural parts of the building such as doors, floors, cabling, etc.
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Scaffolding framework installed on Bryanston Place.
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Historic images of Seymour Centre
These images have been sourced by Make architects from Westminster Archives as part of their research, understanding the building, it’s construction and the history of Seymour Centre and how the building has changed over the years. The images show the initial construction, the opening ceremony, and a play being watched by a group of school children, just one of the many uses the leisure centre has seen over the years.
