Multi-use sports pitches to replace Oasis' sports hall

Seven Capital is proposing a "brand-new unmistakable entrance"

Formal plans for the refurbishment of a derelict leisure centre have been published, which includes the removal of the sports hall.

The Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon closed in October 2020 after its operator GLL claimed it was unviable. Prior to that it had been a popular site, drawing crowds to its pool, but also for events and music.

In May this year, an agreement between Swindon Borough Council and developer Seven Capital was signed, paving the way for the long-awaited reopening.

Seven Capital has already proposed building more than 700 flats on the site and has now published proposals for the centre itself, including new multi-use sports pitches.

A public consultation has been launched to offer the local community an opportunity to view and comment on the proposals

The plans state there will be a new entrance, a new gym, café, bowling alley, indoor golf and circulation core.

They add the existing sports hall "is not thermally efficient and would need very significant investment to repair and upgrade" and as such, where the sports hall now stands, two all-weather multi-use sports pitches will be laid instead.

Access will be as it is now, with parking in the northern parts of the site closest to Hawksworth Way.

The original leisure centre's pool was very popular when it opened

The pool area and dome have been listed, so must be retained if possible and Seven Capital's application added that the "design integrity will be respected in line with the original concept of leisure palace".

Final designs will be subject to further consultation and a further separate Listed Building Consent application, the application said.

The dome will be covered in a modern 'skin' using the same technology as the domes at the Eden Project in Cornwall.  

The application said: "Its extraordinary tear resistance, long life and transparency to ultra-violet light makes it the ideal choice as the secondary skin over the existing dome structure."

Comments on the plan can be made via the council's website before 12 January.