THE Oasis Leisure Centre will need to close for a fortnight in the coming weeks in order to complete refurbishment works.

After many months of hold-ups, work has finally begun on refurbishing the poolside area and replacing the iconic dome.

A number of the glass panels have already been replaced, with a lot of the work taking place overnight.

But for much of the poolside work that needs to be completed, the pool will need to be closed. An exact date has not been set but it will not be over the half-term break.

Work has also started on the poolside changing rooms, which will cause some disruption.

Moirai, which holds the lease for the Oasis, said the work should be completed by the end of March. The project has been delayed for more than a year but the firm said this shows its commitment to the Oasis site.

A spokesman for Forward Swindon, which is working with Moirai, said: “The new panels for the dome are being replaced at about a rate of 10 a day.

“They are clear so it will look much better but they are UV protected. There will need to be a closure of around two weeks for some of the poolside work but this will also be done alongside some of the poolside maintenance.

“It is not possible to keep the pool open and do the work at the same time. The date has not been decided yet, but it will not be over the holidays.”

Day-to-day running of the centre is carried out by Greenwich Leisure Limited, which will be involved in the works.

The poolside changing rooms need a full refurbishment and that will be done in two parts, meaning part of the changing rooms will be closed for a period.

The spokesman said: “The alternative plans are going to be co-ordinated with GLL and could potentially involve the use of other changing rooms. Unfortunately, there will be some disruption and queues but now the reception areas have been refurbished people will not be outside.”

Included in the lease agreement is the regeneration of the North Star site, with Moirai saying they will bring in an indoor ski-slope and arena.

Repeated delays in bringing forward these plans led to the council issuing deadlines.

Moirai says the redevelopment plans are approaching their final stages and will be put out to consultation in the coming months.