Swindon's Oasis Leisure Centre reopening set for 2026

The Oasis is the last remaining example of a leisure pool from the 1970s

A date for the long-awaited reopening of a listed leisure centre has been set.

Swindon's Oasis Leisure Centre has been closed since November 2020, with campaigning residents claiming the site is rapidly deteriorating due to neglect.

Leaseholders Seven Capital and the landowners Swindon Borough Council hope to reopen the venue on 1 January, 2026.

The target date will coincide with the venue's 50th anniversary.

Conservative councillor Dale Heenan said it is the first time a date has been put forward for the project.

Mr Heenan said the development will cost "millions of pounds"

"It is important to manage expectations because this is a development that is going to involve millions of pounds, and costs have tripled because of the listing status," he said.

The Oasis closed in November 2020 when operator GLL said it was no longer viable.

Labour councillor Jim Robbins said the Labour group has been "keen to see the Oasis reopen as soon as possible and nothing has changed on that".

"While we would rather it happened faster and will do all we can in power to speed it up, a reopened Oasis being enjoyed by the people of Swindon on its anniversary will be great," he said.

The Oasis was opened on New Year's Day in 1976 and marked a cultural shift from swimming for fitness to swimming for fun.

Designed by Gillinson Barnet & Partners, it was described by the Royal Institute of British Architects as a "fantasy structure, its half-submerged dome resembling a flying saucer".

The dome has been subject to neglect and vandalism since it closed in 2021

"Clearly it would be devastating for the town to have the Oasis closed on such a key date."

Council leader David Renard added it is the "ambition of the Conservative administration" to open The Oasis in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

"There is still a great deal of work to be done in conjunction with Historic England and the planners but we will continue to work closely with Seven Capital to seek to make it a reality," he said.

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