Oasis Leisure Centre: loss of sports hall amid main objections to plans
Nearly 2000 people submitted their opinions during a week-long consultation back in November
The loss of the sports hall, the loss of any ability to extend the Wilts & Berks canal past the site and the potential loss of light on the ‘iconic’ dome at the Oasis Centre are the main reasons why residents have objected to Seven Capital’s proposals for refurbishing the leisure centre.
The centre’s owner has submitted its formal application for a refurbishment to the centre – and the sports hall/music venue will be demolished and not replaced.
Instead, aside from the listed pool and dome, indoor facilities include a gym, bowling alley and indoor golf, while two all-weather multi-use pitches and a BMX cycling track are planned out of doors.
Residents are already making their views known, and while not everyone is against the proposals, it’s a clear majority who are.
One objector wrote: “I cannot understand why the Oasis was left to its decline other than for the usual potential financial gains.
“This proposal will affect the restoration of the Wilts-Berks canal, another loss to Swindon’s heritage.
“Swindon’s iconic building will be swallowed up by towering blocks of unimaginative piles of bricks, and ‘flat packed’ business units, devoid of any soul and not in keeping with the local area.
“The name ‘Oasis’ is meant to convey a space of light, water and palm trees which provide a place of refuge, rest, peace and relief from the stresses of life.
“Will these bland tower blocks of brick affect the light in the Oasis’s dome?”
Another objector said: “The sports hall/music venue has served the Swindon community for nearly fifty years, providing vital leisure and exercise opportunities for all.
“The potential loss of such an important community asset would be detrimental, particularly at a time when the need for recreational facilities to combat rising obesity rates is increasingly recognised.
“Swindon deserves and needs top-notch leisure facilities. We have little else in our city-sized town! The Oasis has the potential to draw people from near and far, to be a versatile facility to be proud of.”
A third objection reads: “Admittedly the hall is past its sell-by date, and it needs to be refurbished at the least. The lack of a replacement hall leaves Swindon with no large sports facility where audience attendance events can take place.
“The lack of this facility over the past years has meant that the town has lost a large amount of prestige and income, as larger sport events have had to move out of the town and in many cases out of the county.”
Another objection said: “The sports hall is essential. People were drawn from an enormous radius around Swindon for years after the Oasis first opened, supporting the local economy, not just the iconic leisure centre. I fear a lesser leisure centre will not adequately serve the residents of this town.
But at least one person is in favour and wrote: “On first principles, the restoration of the leisure pool is the highest priority.
“I am very happy to see that the iconic dome will remain in place, as this is a key part of the site’s design and a key reason for its listed building status.
“The addition of a second storey of ‘dry-side’ leisure provision is welcome.”
Sport England has also objected because of the proposed loss of the sports hall with no similar or better replacement being offered either on-site or elsewhere.
The listed deadline for making comments via Swindon.gov.uk is Sunday, January 12.
Read more: Plans submitted for redeveloped Oasis Leisure Centre