THE first activities manager for the Oasis Leisure Centre is deeply concerned about the lack of proposed sporting facilities for the site.

Chic Carvell worked at the North Star complex as deputy manager from 1976 to 1982 and has joined the FA and Sports England in calling for a wider range of outdoor pitches and sports halls to be included in the centre's redevelopment.

Plans to restore the Oasis' iconic dome above its swimming pool have been approved but Mr Carvell reminded Swindon Borough Council and building owners SevenCapital that they should not focus on just the pool.

He recalled the range of activities the centre used to offer: "Whilst the leisure pool was the main attraction for those wanting to enjoy a fun splash experience, the dry side of the centre, with its variety of sporting facilities, was vital to the Swindon community.

"The two-court multi-purpose hall made it ideal for use by different sports bodies, international sport events and social events. 

"Diversity was the key, with the main hall accommodating badminton, basketball, indoor hockey, roller skating, five-a-side football, netball, etc. 

"With its bleacher sitting units plus floor seating, the hall was set up for concerts, snooker exhibitions, and wrestling events - making the Oasis a focal leisure and recreation centre for Swindon and the surrounding community.

"Squash courts with a glass back wall on one of them enabled exhibition matches to be staged. The small hall on the ground floor was an ideal area for local clubs to book gymnastics, karate, and taekwondo.

"The projectile hall was used for cricket practice and archery whilst on the first floor a small room provided for two snooker tables. Visualisation was an important design feature allowing the public, who may have come initially to have a swim, to see what else was available.

"The outdoor pitches were popular with football and hockey clubs."

The apparent lack of plans to build a main sports hall or facilities for squash, indoor bowls, and fitness in the new version of the Oasis has alarmed Mr Carvell, who wants SBC and SevenCapital to carry out a thorough feasibility study with local sports bodies and Swindon citizens about the sport and recreation needs of the community.

He added: "The New Oasis must not just be about saving the pool. It needs to focus on what our developing town requires: designing a complex that allows for diversity and is built with modern sustainable materials that ensures the centre is energy efficient and therefore economically viable to run making it affordable for the many thousands who will wish to use it once again.

"Councillors need to come together to agree a process that will involve the residents of Swindon in deciding what facilities are needed.  Failure to do so may result in a centre devoid of imagination, which is not what Swindon deserves. 

"The importance of health and well-being of the community of Swindon cannot be overstated.

"It is the council’s responsibility to make sure that SevenCapital delivers a building that provides, once again, a sport and recreation complex that recognises the health benefits that such a facility will achieve and one that all the councillors can be proud of. 

"Good management will be crucial to the success of the new Oasis. This will be based on the involvement of local sport clubs, community groups, schools, and colleges as well as by attracting national sports events and entertainment which the Oasis was famous for.

"SBC and Seven Capital need to recognise the growing population of Swindon and the surrounding areas requires a multi-purpose sport and recreation complex. It is imperative that the plans made today meet the needs of tomorrow."