A south London lake where a teenage boy tragically died less than three weeks ago will reopen to the public, The Standard can reveal.
Academy football prospect Izaiah Smith, 15, went missing after he went swimming in Beckenham Place Park, Lewisham, on the afternoon of April 4.
After a search and rescue mission by specialist divers, firefighters and police officers, the teenager’s body was found at 10.40pm the same day.
He was rushed to hospital by emergency services but sadly died, the Metropolitan Police said.
Lewisham Council, which manages the 237-acres park, had closed off the swimming lake since the discovery of Izaiah.
The incident heightened concern about open water safety, particularly as warm weather draws more people to outdoor dipping spots.
Scotland Yard made a “direct appeal” to the public following the death of Izaiah, warning them about the dangers of swimming in unsupervised waters.
But just weeks after Izaiah’s untimely death, the public have now been allowed to return to the swimming lake.
An email sent on Tuesday by PTP Coaching, which operates swimming and paddleboarding at the park, revealed that customers will be welcomed back to the lake from Wednesday onwards.
However, the company has told those visiting to “respect the privacy and wellbeing of our staff by not approaching them for details, or discussions about what happened”.
Our focus — as always — is to provide a safe, welcoming space for everyone
The email from PTP coaching read: “We will be reopening Beckenham Lake tomorrow and really hope to see lots of you over the coming weeks. We've really missed you all.
“We want to acknowledge the tragic incident that took place at the lake before Easter.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this heartbreaking event.
“Our team, and we know all of our community, have felt this deeply.
“As we return to normal operations, we kindly ask that you respect the privacy and wellbeing of our staff by not approaching them for details, or discussions about what happened.
“Our focus — as always — is to provide a safe, welcoming space for everyone, and we appreciate your support and understanding.”
Lewisham Council told The Standard that they had agreed to reopen the lake on Wednesday.
Beckenham Place Park, which boasts 1.3 million annual visitors, has London's first purpose-built swimming lake.
The lake, which is 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres, was opened in 2019 as part of a £6.8 million regeneration project involving the re-development of an old golf course.
A report last year by the Royal Lifesaving Society revealed there were at least 125 child drowning deaths in England between 2019 and 2023.
