• Swindon & Wiltshire Property
• Wednesday November 20 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Plans unveiled for Swindon’s iconic Oasis – including 700 houses and a logistics hub

The leaseholder of Swindon’s iconic Oasis leisure centre has unveiled its plans for the site – and they include housing and a logistics hub.

The plans, published on a new www.swindonoasis.co.uk website, show the Grade II listed dome and pool will be retained. But the sports hall is not included in the new plans.

Urban regeneration specialists Seven Capital, whose main business is residential property, proposes using some of the vast site – as well as the cleared Clare’s factory across the road – for two large logistics warehouses and parking, which the developer says would create up to 650 jobs.

The company also suggests there could be 710 flats in eight blocks around the perimeter of the site – as outlined in the deal agreed between Seven Capital and owner Swindon Borough Council in May.

The company says the housing is needed to pay for the refurbishment of the leisure centre.

Image Seven Capital

The Oasis opened in 1976. An irregular-shaped pool with wave machine and water slides – designed to appeal to families – sat under a distinctive glass dome described by Historic England as “a sophisticated and architecturally striking structure which provides a dramatic setting for the pool within.”

In 1987 three further slides – including the longest waterslide in the UK – were added. The Oasis became the most visited attraction in Wiltshire.

In 2020 it was announced that the centre – which had closed during the pandemic – would not reopen. A local campaign to save the facility was launched and the Twentieth Century Society placed the site on its ‘Top 10 Buildings at Risk of Demolition’ list.

In 2021 the dome and pool were awarded Listed Building status. Discussions between Swindon Borough Council and SevenCapital to bring the facility back to life began last year.

Image Seven Capital

On preserving the leisure centre, Seven Capital says: “Swindon Oasis is an iconic architectural design, with its vibrant pool at its heart.

“Our plans use the basis of the original pool to create a modern wave machine, state-of-the-art aqua play and a much-needed teaching lane pool to create a high-quality leisure destination.

“Set beneath the restored dome structure, visitors would find a dynamic and exciting swimming facility, fit for the 21st century. From new slides to a modern wave machine, Oasis will once again be a major destination of which the community can be proud.

“However, due to the poor state of the leisure centre and the need to unlock the investment required to renew the Oasis, some changes to the wider leisure offering are needed.

“The existing sports hall is not thermally efficient and would need very significant investment to repair and upgrade. In response, our plans include the provision of new, outdoor, all-weather pitches. These will ensure a wider offering at Oasis, so it remains more than just a centre for swimming.”

Residents can have their say at https://www.swindonoasis.co.uk/your-feedback There will also be a public exhibition of the plans on Tuesday, November 26 from 1pm to 7pm at the nearby Wiltshire Institute of Technology, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1DY