This beloved 1980s leisure centre in southeast London is getting demolished

"Visiting your local indoor waterpark as a kid is a nostalgic memory firmly lodged into everyone's minds. Yes, there were probably used plasters floating on the water surface and a distant smell of sick, but the thrill of bombing down a water slide for the first time is still a cherished core memory. So Woolwich locals will be sad to learn that Waterfront Leisure Centre, which was built in 1988, will soon be demolished and likely sold off for housing."

"But don't fret, southeast Londoners. When the Waterfront finally closes, it will make way for a shiny new water park opposite General Gordon Square. Woolwich Waves, which was named by residents through a vote (luckily not a repeat of Boaty McBoatface), cost £115 million to construct. That money has been put to good use. There will be two pools, slides, a two-floor gym, sports halls, squash courts, soft play and a sauna. The centre hopes to open with a splash in December."

"The regeneration of Woolwich remains a key priority for the council and Woolwich Waves sits at the heart of that. It will add to an impressive and transformative portfolio of delivery which includes the refurbishment of Tramshed Theatre, the opening of Woolwich Works, and the extensive improvements throughout the town centre, all of which are making Woolwich a more attractive place for people to live, visit, shop and work."

Waterfront Leisure Centre, opened in 1988, has closed after nearly 30 years and showed signs of rundown, including TripAdvisor reports of black mould and closed slides. The leisure complex will be demolished and the site is likely to be sold for housing. A new £115 million water park complex named Woolwich Waves will be built opposite General Gordon Square, offering two pools, slides, a two-floor gym, sports halls, squash courts, soft play and a sauna, with an anticipated opening in December. The project forms part of wider Woolwich regeneration, while the 2.25-acre waterfront site next to the Woolwich Ferry currently has no developer agreed.

Read at Time Out London