Century-old weightlifting club told to leave home

5 hours ago

Nick ClarkLocal Democracy Reporting Service

Charlotte Macaulay Inside of weightlifting gym: shows weights, people using it and black floor. A table is on the left — Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club has been at its current site since 1948

A 100-year-old weightlifting club in east London has been asked to leave its historic home to make way for a new council housing project.

Tower Hamlets Council wants to build a library and 44 homes, including 24 for social rent, at the Professional Development Centre site on Bethnal Green Road and Turin Street.

The development would mean the eviction of Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club, which has been based there for 78 years.

The local authority said it had proposed a new site for the club on nearby Tent Street, although no agreements have been made and discussions with the club are said to be ongoing.

Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club was founded in 1926 and says it has been at its Turin Street site since 1948.

Tower Hamlets Council CGI image shows people walking in a garden along white stone floor with red brick flats and Idea Store to the left — Tower Hamlets Council is proposing a new housing development

Tower Hamlets Council, which owns the club's current building, told the club in 2024 that its lease would end in January 2025, later extended to October 2026.

In July 2025 the council included it in a list of sites to be redeveloped under its housing programme and has now applied for planning permission to redevelop the space.

Charlotte Macaulay Two dozen people pose for a picture taken in the gym with a large weight above them — The club says it has not agreed to a new site

The club said that although it was prepared to relocate in order to keep running, it had not agreed to any new site.

A club spokesperson said: "We support the council's exploration of potential relocation options for the club, which is specifically what we told them.

"Following this, they invited us to view a derelict railway arch (used as a car park/dump) near Bethnal Green Overground [station].

"Our discussions ended with the council promising to conduct a survey, to work out if the arch was safe to inhabit. To our understanding, this was not carried out."

A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: "We value the Club and recognise its importance to the local community and will continue to work with them to try to find a solution and ensure they can continue as a valued organisation in our borough."

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