David Lloyd leisure club in South Beddington has been purchased by the Council for £21.5m.

The fitness group will rent the property from the Council, providing an income of more than £1m a year, as town hall seeks to increase property investment in the borough.

Sutton already owns the freehold and taking up the leasehold - which runs until 2036 - will increase the council’s control of the future of the property.

Councillor Sunita Gordon, Sutton’s lead member for resources, said: “We are ambitious for Sutton to become an even greater place to live, work and raise a family.

"To achieve this, we are committed to making good quality investments to help deliver Council objectives and protect services.

“Since we made it our policy to invest four years ago, we have put more than £53m into property, giving us an annual income of more than £2.5m to support council services.

"Our £21.5m investment in the David Lloyd Club will bring us another £1m-plus a year.

"This venture, plus our recent decision to buy the Four Seasons industrial estate, demonstrates our commitment to keep building a portfolio of prudent investments.

"The David Lloyd organisation has spent more than £5m on modernising the club since 2017 and it is now one of the UK’s leading health, spa, fitness and racquets clubs.

"Our investment will extend our direct control of the future of this property.”

The Hannibal Way facility includes a gym, swimming pool and tennis courts.

Property investments over £53m have been made since the approval of the Council new strategy in 2015, which aims "to support the economic viability of the borough" by acquiring assets which deliver returns that can fund service provision.