Oasis revamp will create 1,700 jobs

9:30am Thursday 2nd February 2012 in News By David Wiles

The Oasis Leisure Centre The Oasis Leisure Centre

A MAJOR project to turn the run-down Oasis Leisure Centre into a regional leisure destination will bring about 1,700 jobs to Swindon’s economy.

Swindon Council has identified a preferred developer that would refurbish the old centre and later provide other leisure facilities at the site, including a snowdome and an arena.

And the council is also considering an option to build a £4m pedestrian bridge that would link the Oasis to the town centre over the railway line.

Coun Keith Williams, cabinet member for leisure and corporate services, revealed the initial information ahead of the full details, including the developer’s name, being announced by the council on Tuesday.

He said the aim of the project was to restore the faded centre to its former glory, when the facility drew people from far and wide.

He said: “This really is one of those great moments we will look back upon.

“We are putting every effort in. An awful lot of time has been put into this to make sure that the elements around this are correct.

“This is going to be really great for Swindon in the same way the Oasis was years ago.

“The people of Swindon will have something to look forward to and they will enjoy when it arrives.

“As councillors we live in Swindon, we raise our families in Swindon, and we want what’s best for Swindon. Everyone is supportive of this.

“This is a great opportunity. This is a real win-win-win opportunity: Win for the people of Swindon, win for the developer and win for the council.”

The Oasis, in North Star Avenue, has a lagoon swimming pool with water slides and a wave machine, a gym, a sports hall, indoor bowling, squash courts and outdoor pitches. It also hosts concerts.

Just over a year ago, the council announced it was inviting companies to redevelop the crumbling site. Developers were offered the chance to either refurbish the existing centre or build a new one altogether.

Out of the 22 companies which expressed an interest, three were shortlisted to give presentations on their proposals. These were assessed on a point-scoring exercise and a preferred developer was chosen.

Under the outline plans, the project would take place in phases. The developer would refurbish the existing facilities by the end of 2013.An arena and other facilities would then be built on the site, with the snowdome expected to be operational by 2015.

Plans for Swindon’s own snow dome were first mooted in 2004, but the project seemed to fizzle out until last year when the council invited businesses interested in redeveloping the site to come forward.

If the centre is completed, it will bring about 1,700 jobs to the local economy, and the council hopes two-thirds of the users would come from outside of Swindon.

Coun Williams said the developer would initially lease the land from the council, but after the project is completed, the freehold will be transferred to a trust, which would have tax benefits.

He added that the council would pay very little for the project and would also benefit because it would no longer have to subsidise the facility.

The report detailing the full plans will be officially presented to Cabinet on Wednesday, February 15. The full council will need to approve the project.

Comments(33)

itsamess says...
9:50am Thu 2 Feb 12

At last some forward thinking--but how long before this comes pie and the sky and our council signs away its involvement?

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SockPuppet says...
10:00am Thu 2 Feb 12

Looks like a fantastic idea, especially living nearby :)

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Jim Royle says...
10:16am Thu 2 Feb 12

Sounds good. Will this mean an end the Swindon card rip off too?

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I_luv_chips_me says...
10:36am Thu 2 Feb 12

1,700 jobs? seems quite high? Is that in the redevelopment or the ongoing running of the place - Good news whatever the real figure though!

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mikesgta says...
10:42am Thu 2 Feb 12

Sounds great but then again so does a lot ideas they come up with. I hope its not SBC just trying to off load its responsibilities like the council house`s they tried to get rid of. Swindon card maybe a rip off but its better than no reduction which may be the case with private company running it.

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Old Town says...
10:48am Thu 2 Feb 12

Why do you think the Swindon Card is a rip off ?
.
It's absolutely fantastic value for money ???

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lss11051981 says...
10:53am Thu 2 Feb 12

I'm a bit sceptical about the developer and the plans involved for developing this site. I thought the pool etc was only refurbished a few years ago? Don't get me wrong, but surely you cannot purely just refurbish parts of the centre without leaving them the same. The dome and lagoon pool are an integral part of the Oasis and I can't imagine the developer changing much otherwise you would be looking at a complete rebuild. Also how would the developer keep the existing facilities open whilst a complete refurbishment takes place. I know developers are finding it difficult borrowing money at the moment, but surely it would be better just to rebuild a new centre on the site over the road and close the old one down once the new one is open without losing the use of facilities.

Also it says in the article that a snow dome may happen at some point later down the line, so this may not even happen for certain. As usual, I expect the council will be bending over to the developers just to get the leisure centre off their hands to help balance the books. It seems like all us people o Swindon will end up with is just another shoddy attempt to dust the centre over with cheap cosmetic improvements and at no cost to the council. People o Swindon deserve more.

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Old Town says...
10:55am Thu 2 Feb 12

lss11051981 wrote:
I'm a bit sceptical about the developer and the plans involved for developing this site. I thought the pool etc was only refurbished a few years ago? Don't get me wrong, but surely you cannot purely just refurbish parts of the centre without leaving them the same. The dome and lagoon pool are an integral part of the Oasis and I can't imagine the developer changing much otherwise you would be looking at a complete rebuild. Also how would the developer keep the existing facilities open whilst a complete refurbishment takes place. I know developers are finding it difficult borrowing money at the moment, but surely it would be better just to rebuild a new centre on the site over the road and close the old one down once the new one is open without losing the use of facilities.

Also it says in the article that a snow dome may happen at some point later down the line, so this may not even happen for certain. As usual, I expect the council will be bending over to the developers just to get the leisure centre off their hands to help balance the books. It seems like all us people o Swindon will end up with is just another shoddy attempt to dust the centre over with cheap cosmetic improvements and at no cost to the council. People o Swindon deserve more.
You never know - it might actually be worth waiting until the plans are submitted before making your mind up ?
.
Just a thought.....

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Jim Royle says...
11:06am Thu 2 Feb 12

Old Town wrote:
Why do you think the Swindon Card is a rip off ? . It's absolutely fantastic value for money ???
You have to own a card to use facilities at a reasonable price. Fixed prices should be available to all without the card.

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lss11051981 says...
11:19am Thu 2 Feb 12

Yes Old Town, it probably is worth waiting to see the plans. It's just difficult to look forward when the Council have let us down many times before. Let's hope :)

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itsamess says...
11:19am Thu 2 Feb 12

Could be another pre-election promise? But if it is we could end up with a labour council who can blame it all on the tories.

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Old Town says...
11:20am Thu 2 Feb 12

Why should they ?
.
People who live in Swindon can get a discount over people from out of town.
.
They can also book a lot of the sessions online, giving brilliant flexibility
.
My son has one for Ice Skating - £19 a month or £5 a session - given that hes goes twice a week it is a massive saving. People who only go twice a month should pay more
.
It's kind of like a season ticket for the football - you commit and go more, you get a discount
.
I can only see it as a good thing. Its not exactly a lot of hassle to get a Swindon card either - I really don't see the problem ?

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I_luv_chips_me says...
11:21am Thu 2 Feb 12

Jim Royle wrote:
Old Town wrote: Why do you think the Swindon Card is a rip off ? . It's absolutely fantastic value for money ???
You have to own a card to use facilities at a reasonable price. Fixed prices should be available to all without the card.
Agree - we would be very casual users (we have membership at a private gym) so maybe once or twice a year but when I looked in to taking my 3 y.old there for a swim it would've cost a small fortune without a card.....so we didn't bother. 1 x adult membership at the hotel we go to costs the same per week as a family swim & we can go as much as we want.

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Jim Royle says...
12:04pm Thu 2 Feb 12

It is the occasional users that the Swindon card puts off. Of course it is worthwhile for regular users of facilites, but I still don't think Swindon resident s should pay for the priviledge of owning a card. Also you are not going to tempt in people from outside swindon either if they have to stump up more. It should be one price for an adult,1 for a child,1 for a pensioner and one for benefit claimants.

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I_luv_chips_me says...
12:25pm Thu 2 Feb 12

Yep - Just checked....£16 for 2 adults and a 4 y.old without a Swindon Card - If we got Swindon cards @ a total cost of £26.50 we'd get a £2.90 discount. Non discount price too expensive to go occasionally, wouldn't go enough to justify the Swindon Card.
.
Of course I could be really out of touch and £16 for a family swim is a reasonable price?

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I 2 Could B says...
1:03pm Thu 2 Feb 12

End of 2013 for the first phase of redevelopment to be complete.

So, two years then. Let's see.

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Same Old Swindon says...
1:54pm Thu 2 Feb 12

Phased developement means "NEVER FINISHED" (but there again Swindon is becoming renowned for that). The headlines should read No Snow Dome for Swindon as it looks to me like a token jesture in the final phase!! Come on Swindon, think about this. More shops and a lick of paint on The Oasis and then the investors will walk away. Hardly a regional iconic leisure destination is it? Certainly wont make me want to come to Swindon

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emz1200 says...
3:16pm Thu 2 Feb 12

I really hope that Swindon Council do have the Snowdome built as i have been learning to Ski at the Snowdome in Milton Keynes & everytime i have been there it has been packed with people. Out of 9 on my ski course no-one was from Milton Keynes everyone had travelled at least an hour to get there so it would bring some many people into the town. If the council do revamp the Oasis to how they have said then it could be the best thing they have ever done.
My fingers are tightly crossed for this happening.

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JoefromDRS says...
4:27pm Thu 2 Feb 12

1,700 jobs?? I would imagine a figure nearer 170 staff would be needed to run a leisure centre, I say that figure is complete and utter ****.

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Same Old Swindon says...
4:45pm Thu 2 Feb 12

Totally agree with you emz1200, Swindon needs a snowdome. The Council should be insisting that its included in first phase of the development and NOT THE LAST. This is a far cry from when the Swindon Snowdome was first announced in the adver in 2010. Where has the vision gone? "Phased Development" that means no Swindon Snowdome! We're not all gullible Councilor Keith Williams

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Same Old Swindon says...
7:12pm Thu 2 Feb 12

lss11051981 wrote:
I'm a bit sceptical about the developer and the plans involved for developing this site. I thought the pool etc was only refurbished a few years ago? Don't get me wrong, but surely you cannot purely just refurbish parts of the centre without leaving them the same. The dome and lagoon pool are an integral part of the Oasis and I can't imagine the developer changing much otherwise you would be looking at a complete rebuild. Also how would the developer keep the existing facilities open whilst a complete refurbishment takes place. I know developers are finding it difficult borrowing money at the moment, but surely it would be better just to rebuild a new centre on the site over the road and close the old one down once the new one is open without losing the use of facilities. Also it says in the article that a snow dome may happen at some point later down the line, so this may not even happen for certain. As usual, I expect the council will be bending over to the developers just to get the leisure centre off their hands to help balance the books. It seems like all us people o Swindon will end up with is just another shoddy attempt to dust the centre over with cheap cosmetic improvements and at no cost to the council. People o Swindon deserve more.
Couldn't agree more. The Council are off loading the Oasis and giving away acres of prime development land in exchange for a bit of cheap cosmetic work and then trying to convince us that its a good deal! This isn't acceptable. We deserve better than this. Where's our Snowdome?

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I Too says...
8:11pm Thu 2 Feb 12

Yes, I agree.
The Adver / Council haven't given out any detail of land being sold out to developers.

Much of this area was earmarked for University options.

I suspect that it is being rubbed out to open up opportunities for future development on greenfield sites, using a university as a pawn AGAIN.

Swindon has been systematically destroyed by this type of constant pandering to developers

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I Too says...
8:25pm Thu 2 Feb 12

I should have written " I suspect that it this area of land is being rubbed out to open up opportunities for future development on other greenfield sites, using a university as a pawn AGAIN.

For those following my flickr aerial photo site, I'll add one of the Oasis so we can monitor the progress http://m.flickr.com/
#/photos/73970391@N0
3/sets/

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Still About says...
9:48pm Thu 2 Feb 12

That would be useful.
Make sure you get the area of land where Claires used to be.

When Coate was offered the university didn't even have funding

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itsamess says...
10:20pm Thu 2 Feb 12

I have suggested numerous times that All the businesses on Hawksworth T/E to areas that have better road links.
The whole estate could be turned into a University campus and leisure complex--which combined with the Uni complex in The current trading area in London St will regenerate from Hawksworth right through to the Railway village and easy access to the town and outlet village. Win Win.

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I Too says...
11:14pm Thu 2 Feb 12

Still About wrote:
That would be useful.
Make sure you get the area of land where Claires used to be.

When Coate was offered the university didn't even have funding
That's exactly what I was thinking.

I agree with Itsamess comment too.
A restored Mechanics, open to the public combining a few small shops and historical information would link the whole lot to the town centre.

Been looking for aerial photo of Oasis. Looks like I'll have to go up and get a new one.

In the meantime I've gone to Google Earth for some easy coordinates. It shows Oasis with Claires Factory still in place.
Coordinates are
51 34 8N & 1 47 35W

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Healthylady says...
11:11am Fri 3 Feb 12

This sounds like a great plan, especially a bridge over the railway to cut out having to walk under the tunnel. Sure the snow dome will bring many visitors and the non skiers in any party can go to Steam or the outlet.

The Swindon card costs £15.50 a year for an adult if you are a Swindon resident and £5.50 for a child. This gives you almost half price on everything and in the school holidays children get offered deals like skating for £1. The costs really rack up if you are not a resident but I don't object to that as I don't pay rates to Swindon so why should I be subsidised.

The down side of this is that Wiltshire Council want those living in the north of the area to depend on Swindon facilities and make no improved provision in Bassett.

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Blackmalkin says...
6:16pm Fri 3 Feb 12

Is the developer Rikki Hunt? ;-)

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I Too says...
8:39pm Fri 3 Feb 12

Rikki Hunt might use the google images, to sell the non-existant Claires premises to SBC :-)

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q1234 says...
3:47pm Sat 4 Feb 12

1,700 jobs will be created, please can somebody explain to me how they come to that conclusion, or is this a misprint.

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I Too says...
6:38pm Sat 4 Feb 12

I would guess many will be temporary jobs.
1 person to put cones out, 1 person to dig a hole, 2 people to fill it in, 5 people to cover the paperwork for each of tose jobs, etc.
The end result will more than likely be more tacky houses, a loss of a "notable" property, a bigger strain on the infrastruture, a bigger population and no equal increase in permanent employment .

Same old record

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I Too says...
6:40pm Sat 4 Feb 12

I would guess many will be temporary jobs.
1 person to put cones out, 1 person to dig a hole, 2 people to fill it in, 5 people to cover the paperwork for each of tose jobs, etc.
The end result will more than likely be more tacky houses, a loss of a "notable" property, a bigger strain on the infrastruture, a bigger population and no equal increase in permanent employment .

Same old record

Report this post »

Always Grumpy says...
9:53am Tue 7 Feb 12

I Too wrote:
Still About wrote:
That would be useful.
Make sure you get the area of land where Claires used to be.

When Coate was offered the university didn't even have funding
That's exactly what I was thinking.

I agree with Itsamess comment too.
A restored Mechanics, open to the public combining a few small shops and historical information would link the whole lot to the town centre.

Been looking for aerial photo of Oasis. Looks like I'll have to go up and get a new one.

In the meantime I've gone to Google Earth for some easy coordinates. It shows Oasis with Claires Factory still in place.
Coordinates are
51 34 8N & 1 47 35W
Here's a place to suit you.........
48 18 09 N
122 45 51 W

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click2find

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