Plans to knock down Morden Leisure Centre and build a £10m replacement are on hold pending the results of a public consultation on the future of Morden Park.
Labour councillors accused the council of abandoning the project at a council meeting earlier this month.
But Councillor David Simpson, Merton Council’s cabinet member for environment and leisure services, said the existing leisure centre in Morden Park had a limited life.
He said: “Even with significant investment in the current building, the return on investment would not create the same return of that of a new facility.
“Within the next six months we will have a clear understanding of the public expectations for Morden Leisure Centre.”
However he warned that £10m was a significant amount of money in the current economic climate.
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