Plans to revamp Swindon’s iconic Oasis Leisure Centre took a huge leap forward today after officers agreed to grant outline planning permission to transform it into leisure hub complete with indoor ski centre, cinema, indoor crazy golf, skate park and hotel as well as a range of shops and restaurants.
Under the £270m project developer Seven Capital also hopes to provide parking on the 30 acre site for up to 1,600 cars to meet anticipated demand for the site - due to open its doors to the public by 2021.
The site of the new leisure hub
One member of the public wrote in support of the application, citing how it might bring in investment and encourage people to participate in sport and four objections were raised including the effect on local businesses, the loss of skate facilities and that there was a covenant for existing sports facilities on the site to be retained. Officers also received an internet petition signed by about 800 people and a paper petition with 400 names campaigning against the loss of skate and speedway facilities.
F1 Real Estate Management, who manage the Brunel Shopping Centre, highlighted concerns that the new facility would compete for trade.
However, officers concluded that the newly revamped Oasis site would draw in ‘day-trip’ visitors who would not otherwise visit the town and also would not have sufficient retail space to compete strongly against the town centre shops.
The latest news signals a welcome move forward with plans to revamp the area which stalled after the original company set to develop the site, Moirai Capital Investments, ran into financial difficulties.
Speaking about the scheme to the Link Magazine in July, SevenCapital Director John Watkins said: “This is a long-awaited development for the people of Swindon and an exciting project for Seven Capital. Not only will it bring a host of new leisure activities and brands for restaurants to enjoy, it will also help to attract many more visitors to the area. SevenCapital has a strong track record of delivering large-scale complex regeneration projects and we are looking forward to applying our expertise to being this site to life.”
Work will mainly carried out by national firms but Mr Watkins said that local employment prospects could well be boosted by making use of local contractors.
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