Every Safe Haven in the borough is a leisure centre, the latest open until 10.30pm and none in Kingston town centre. Here is each address, and the hours.
Five venues in the borough will now let anyone who feels unsafe come in, sit down and get help. All five are leisure centres, and none of them is in Kingston town centre.
Kingston Council added the five to the national Safe Haven scheme on Monday 10 August, and announced it on 19 August. They are the first venues in the borough to join, and the council’s own Safe Havens page still lists no others.
Where they are, and when they are open
Hours are the operator’s own published times. Places Leisure runs all five as agent for the council.
| Venue | Address | Weekdays | Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tolworth Recreation Centre | Fullers Way North, KT6 7LQ | 6.30am to 10.30pm | 8am to 7pm |
| Malden Centre | Blagdon Road, New Malden, KT3 4TA | 6.30am to 10pm | 6.30am to 9.30pm Sat, 7.30am to 9.30pm Sun |
| Chessington Sports Centre | Garrison Lane, KT9 2JS | 8.15am to 10pm, 8.30pm Fri | 9am to 5pm |
| Weir Archer Athletics and Fitness Centre | 422A Kingston Road, KT1 3PB | 8am to 10pm, 8pm Fri | 9am to 4.30pm |
| Albany Outdoors | Albany Mews, Albany Park Road, KT2 5SL | 9am to 4pm | Closed |
Two things follow from that table, and neither is in the press release.
The latest any Safe Haven in the borough is open is 10.30pm, at Tolworth, and only on a weekday. On a Saturday night the last one shuts at 9.30pm, in New Malden. Albany Outdoors closes at 4pm and does not open at weekends at all.
None of the five is in Kingston town centre. They are in Tolworth, New Malden, Chessington, on Kingston Road near the Hogsmill, and at Albany Park by the river. The council describes Safe Havens as “particularly important in improving safety for women and girls in the borough”, and the borough’s bars, clubs and late buses are concentrated in a town centre the current list does not reach.
This week is worth checking twice. On the bank holiday, Monday 31 August, Places Leisure lists shorter hours at every one of them: Malden Centre 6.30am to 4pm, Tolworth 8am to 4pm, Chessington 9am to 5pm, Weir Archer 9am to 4.30pm, and Albany Outdoors closed.
What a Safe Haven actually does
A Safe Haven is a venue whose staff have agreed to help someone who needs it, and who have had training to do so. The council’s page lists what that covers.
You might use one if you:
- feel unsafe, intimidated or threatened
- are being harassed or followed
- feel unwell or vulnerable
- have lost your phone, wallet or belongings
- believe your drink may have been spiked
- need help contacting someone you trust
- need help getting home safely
Staff can offer:
- a safe and calm place to sit
- a call to a friend, family member or taxi
- drinking water
- a phone or a charger
- help contacting the emergency services
- signposting to local support services
The council is explicit about the limits. Safe Haven staff “are not specialist support workers, but they are trained to respond appropriately and help people access further support where required.” At least one member of staff has to complete the training before a venue counts.
Participating venues display a Safe Haven sticker in the window. Locations are also mapped in the Travel Guardian app run by imabi, which the council has partnered with.
Who is behind it
The scheme is run with the Safer Business Network, which works with organisations across the UK on crime, violence and antisocial behaviour. Places Leisure is supporting it as the council’s leisure operator.
Councillor Sabah Hamed, the council’s portfolio holder for adult social care and health, said the Safe Havens bring the borough “closer to achieving the objectives set in our Kingston’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy 2025-2030”, alongside existing provision the council lists as a Safety Zone, patrols by Kingston Street Pastors, the Kingston Women’s Hub, the Kingston One Stop Shop and the Willow Centre.
What it means for you
If you are out in the borough. Note which of the five is nearest to where you actually go, and note that after about 10pm none of them is open. Outside those hours the answer is still 999, or 101 for non-emergencies.
If you run a business. This is the part that decides whether the scheme works. Joining is free, and the council says venues get staff training, guidance materials, window stickers and information on referral pathways. The training is described as short. A pub, cafe or shop in Clarence Street, on the Fife Road approach to the station or by the bus station would fill the gap the current list leaves. The registration form is linked from the council’s Safe Havens page, and the community safety team can be reached at communitysafety@kingston.gov.uk.
If you are heading to a centre this week. Check the bank holiday hours above before you set off, and see our Kingston roadworks and travel page for what is shut on the roads and the railway over the same weekend.
Sources
- Leisure centres become Safe Havens for people experiencing harassment, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, 19 August 2026, for the start date, the partners and the quotation.
- Safe Havens, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, for the full current list of venues, addresses, what the scheme covers and how a business joins.
- Places Leisure centre pages for opening hours and bank holiday hours: Tolworth Recreation Centre, Malden Centre, Chessington Sports Centre, Weir Archer Athletics and Fitness Centre and Albany Outdoors, all checked 25 August 2026.
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