THE REFURBISHMENT of the Oasis Leisure Centre is underway – but some of the work has been delayed due to asbestos being found in the building.

Moirai Capital Investments signed a deal with Swindon Council to refurbish the centre and later provide other leisure facilities on the adjoining former Clares factory site, including a hotel, an arena and indoor ski slope.

Scaffolding has gone up around the centre to start the external redecoration and a contractor is being chosen to complete the internal refurbishment, including: the installation of a larger, 100-station gym on the site of the indoor bowls facility; a revamp of the toilets and changing rooms; and relocation of the kiosk so people do not have to queue in the rain.

But Moirai spokesman Peter Holmes said the work had been delayed slightly because a small amount of asbestos had been found, meaning a specialist contractor had to be brought in to remove it before workmen could start the internal work.

He said: “What we have been doing is working in the background, particularly on the Oasis refurbishment and so on, and there’s been a certain amount of delay on that, particularly as a result of the need to remove asbestos from some of the parts that are going to be refurbished.

“As you know, that takes an inordinate amount of time because the world and his wife has got to be involved.

“Scaffolding has gone up on the outside to get stuff moving in terms of the external redecoration and the quotations for the new reception area and the gym and the wet areas associated with it are coming in.”

The refurbishment, estimated at £1.5m to £2m, will also see new plastic panels installed in the iconic dome and will be mostly funded by Moirai, with the help of a grant of £275,000 from the Government agency Sport England towards the pool changing facilities upgrade.

Mr Holmes said: “The dome is still subject to some question. “There’s been an examination of different ways of dealing with that because obviously from the operator’s point of view, what they want is the least possible downtime when that’s being done.

“And one of the contractors is looking at the possibility – and it may be no more than that – of using abseilers working from cranes to put the stuff in over the top, which will minimise the amount of time it’s actually down.”

Moirai hopes the refurbishment will be completed by the end of 2013.

In April, the operation of the Oasis was taken over by Greenwich Leisure Limited, a charitable social enterprise that oversees the management of more than 100 public leisure centres and 12 libraries across the UK.

Radically updated plans for the Oasis comprise the refurbished Oasis Centre, an entertainments arena with seating for 6,500, a 200-metre snow ski slope with a separate slope for beginners and a fun snow area, a multiplex cinema, 10-pin bowling, plus a full range of restaurants, cafés, bars and leisure-related retail outlets, as well as a hotel, multi-storey parking and possibly an ice-climbing wall.