Camden committee lends unanimous support to ‘Save the Central YMCA’ campaign

Councillors on Camden’s Culture and Environment Scrutiny Committee have given their full and unanimous support to the campaign to save the Central YMCA Club from closure.

In early December members of the leisure and social club in Great Russell Street received a notification out of the blue saying the long-running club had been sold to a hotel group and would close in February 2025. There had been no consultation with its members.

Ryan Palmer, chief executive of the Central YMCA, wrote saying the charity has been “conducting a strategic review” which had concluded the club is no longer financially viable.

At a packed meeting at the Town Hall on Monday 9 December, campaigners David Bieda and Joshua von Uexkull told councillors that the Central YMCA was too important for its thousands of members to lose.

Bieda appealed directly to Criterion Capital, the new owners of the building, who he said were likely watching the webcast of the meeting to “stop trying to buy the YMCA” and instead “support its continuation” for the benefit of its many users.

Von Uexkull, who is a member of staff at the YMCA, said Central YMCA has been a part of his life since he attended pre-school classes there. “It’s an essential leisure centre and lifeline for the community,” he told councillors.

For his four minute deputation describing the club’s many benefits he received a standing ovation, something that chair of the committee Cllr Awale Olad said was a first.

In a statement released after the meeting, Bieda said: “The Central YMCA Club provides essential services to people of all ages and a hugely diverse range of backgrounds.

“The sale of the building to a real estate investor for redevelopment as a hotel reflects a growing trend where London’s community spaces, youth clubs, health facilities and swimming pools are being threatened at an alarming rate.

“We have gathered significant professional expertise to lead our campaign and protect this vital asset in the heart of London for current and future generations,” he said.

The Central YMCA Club at 112 Great Russell Street off Tottenham Court Road in Fitzrovia opened in 1977 on the site of a previous YMCA building. In the 1980s the hostel on upper floors of the building was sold and converted to a hotel.

A petition calling for the club to be saved, started by Von Uexkull, has gained nearly 6,000 signatures.

For more information see the campaign website: Save the Central YMCA Club. Camden Council, Culture and Environment Scrutiny Committee, Monday 9 December 2024. Agenda. Webcast.

Please support The Fitzrovia News. Consider helping us cover our costs by visiting our secure payment page.