Oasis owner tight-lipped on whether it wants to re-open centre
There seems to be no prospect of the new Oasis centre being rebuilt, and re-opened, before early-to-mid 2027 at the very earliest.
The building’s de facto owner, housing developer Seven Capital, was given planning permission to rebuild the centre in July.
It’s plans would see the listed pool area and dome retained, but the sports hall demolished and the dry side would be redeveloped to include new changing rooms a gym and a 10-pin bowling alley.
But the proposal to build more than 700 flats in eight tower blocks in the site surrounding the centre – which would have generated the money for Seven Capital to rebuild the leisure centre- was turned down
And three months on since the company’s manging director Damien Siviter said there was doubt whether the Oasis would ever be re-opened, the company will not say what its plans are now.
It declined to answer the Local Democracy Report’s questions on whether there was more clarity on the way forward.
What seems certain is there is no hope at all of a new Oasis opening during 2026 – the 50th anniversary of the original’s opening.
That had been a target for both Seven Capital and Swindon Borough Council which used to own and operate the oasis, and still owns the land under it, but gave a 99 year lease for the centre to the developer in 2014.
In February 2025 Mr Siviter told a committee of councillors that it would take about 18 months from getting consent to re-opening.
It would have been a tight enough matter even if the flats had been approved in early July – but with no apparent progress in the three months since then a 2026 opening looks impossible.
Swindon Borough Council said it is working with the development company on the details of the consent to rebuild the centre.
Leader of the authority councillor Jim Robbins, said: “Our planning team have been working their way through the legal agreements for the planning applications that were approved by the Planning Committee for the Oasis and the former Clares site since the meeting in July.
“Seven Capital, meanwhile, is currently considering its options regarding the residential application that was refused. We need to give them the appropriate time to do that, which we will, but we are open to discussions on how the scheme can be taken forward.
“We remain absolutely committed to reopening a refurbished and sustainable Oasis for current and future generations.”
Conservative Councillor Sudha Sri Nukana, in whose Rodbourne Cheney ward the Oasis sits, is on the all party working group set up to help.
She said: “The group has had one meeting.; It was more about what it can do to help move things forward, and there’s another meeting in November, but I can’t say much more than that.”