Skip to content

London Roller Derby to lose home when venue closes

Grant Williams
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Getty Images Roller derby players wearing helmets and protective gear train indoors on a sports court. Several skaters in red hoodies and black outfits form a line while others practise blocking and manoeuvres.Getty Images
London Roller Derby has trained at the Bridge Park Community Centre (image from 2011 in different venue)

A north-west London roller derby team could be left without a base after Brent Council approved plans to close a community centre.

Bridge Park Community Centre in Stonebridge is due to shut on 31 July, pending final approval from the government.

The centre was once the largest Black-led community enterprise in Europe. It currently hosts several community groups, including the London Roller Derby team, which has trained there twice weekly for the past 20 years.

The site is set to be redeveloped as part of a £600m investment in the area, which will include housing, a hotel, park, and a new leisure facility.

The council said the decision was taken "with regret", but claimed the cost of repairing the building was too high and its condition posed a "high risk of failure of vital equipment".

The cabinet acknowledged the option to keep the centre open longer, but said the risks and costs were too great.

In 2024/25, it generated nearly £500,000 less than expected.

Google Map Exterior view of Bridge Park Community Leisure Centre in showing its entrance archway, fencing, and signage.Google Map
The council said the community centre is too costly to keep open

Roller derby is a high-speed, full-contact sport played on roller skates, typically involving two teams racing and blocking around an oval track.

At the council's cabinet meeting where the decision was taken, a London Roller Derby member, who spoke under her alter-ego Vengeance, said they would be left "homeless" if the centre closes, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

"This is how fantastic our skaters are. We are going to be training our hearts out until the World Cup in July. Until you shut the doors, we are going to be training our hearts out in Bridge Park," she added.

Grant Williams A group of seven people stand outside a building with red-framed windows and doors. They are posed for a photo, smiling at the camera. A blue bicycle is parked in front of them. Grant Williams
The Harlesden People's Community Council want the community centre to be given special status

Neil Nerva, the council's cabinet member for leisure, said the repair option was not good value and it was "also questionable whether it could even be achieved."

The Harlesden People's Community Council (HPCC), which launched the Save Bridge Park campaign, is seeking to preserve the site as a vital community resource and cultural landmark.

Historic England is reviewing the application, the meeting heard, with a final decision expected this summer.

The council said it wanted to work with the roller derby team to find an alternative venue.

The new leisure centre is not expected to open until 2030.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]

More stories like this