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PROPOSALS FOR A MAJOR NEW LEISURE CENTRE WITHIN
THE FAST GROWING WESTERN DEVELOPMENT AREA HAS
BEEN AGREED BY THE BOROUGH COUNCIL'S POLICY AND
RESOURCES COMMITTEE, THIS REPORT, SUPPLIED TO Puli^
THE LINK BY THAMESDOWN COUNCIL, DESCRIBES THE
PROJECT WHERE BUILDING IS SOON TO START,
The 132,000 square feet centre, to be built on a
four acre site adjacent to the Carrefour super- meeting.
store, will combine an enviable range of social
and recreational amenities under one roof - from
basic meeting facilities for community groups to
an ice rink. Apart from its practical value for RESIDENTS OF THE WESTERN DEVELOPMENT AREA OF
existing and eventual residents in the western SWINDON ARE INVITED TO A PUBLIC INFORMATION
development and beyond, the centre will also be MEETING WITH MEMBERS AND OFFICERS OF BOROUGH
another important 'plus point' for the borough OF THAMESDOWN TO DISCUSS THE LEISURE CENTRE
in its efforts to attract new industrial and PROJECT, THE PLANS AND THE MODEL SEEN ABOVE
commercial investment into Swindon. WILL BE ON DISPLAY, THE MEETING WILL BE AT
ON THURSDA'
The multi-purpose approach o the centre has been TOOTHILL 7TH APRIL
Multi-Purtose
adopted deliberately as the most cost-effective AT 7P,M,
way of providing such a wide range of facilities '^URC' DOORS OPEN 6,30F
with different components of the centre clearly
able to share common features, whether in terms facilities, offers opportunities for ice hockE,
of construction, management or usage. Its £9 ice shows and similar events, as well as its
million cost is a lot of money - but the council normal recreational use - other major sporti
believes that the need for such facilities is provision at the centre will include a large
there, and that arguably, to provide them piece- multi-purpose sports hall, like that at the Oa
meal could cost a lot more (as well as depriving a 25 metre, six-lane swimming pool warmed by
residents of amenities which they need sooner excess heat generated by the ice-making proce
rather than later). squash courts and a snooker hall.
'Umbrella' Equal emphasis has been laid on providing a
range of flexible 'social' amenities. These
With a mid-summer start on construction anti-
include a hall suitable for communal gatherin
cipated, the first major feature of the building
like wedding receptions and dances; facilitie
to take shape will be the roof, withits grid of
for pre-school children with its own open-air
latticed steel girders supported by tension
terrace; a range of club and meeting rooms;
hangers not unlike those of the Renault building
a dance/drama studio and arts workshop offeri
nearby. Theroof will then act as an 'umbrella'
similar facilities to those at the Town Hall
for work to continue on the rest of the 100yards
Swindon.
square centre underneath, relatively unaffected
by the weather. The internal layout of the Wiltshire County Council, for its part, will
centre will be arranged on three levels, with a providing a large DISTRICT LIBRARY within the
main publicconcourse giving access to the centre, as well as offices for Social Service
various facilities. Probation and other services.
Apart from themuch-publicised ice rink - which All being well, the present programme provide
with seating for 1,000, and restaurant/bar 'or thecomplex to be completed by the end of 19
