A CLEAN-UP has been promised at Swindon’s Oasis centre after a battery of complaints from community leaders.

Environmental campaigners and parish councillors have urged developer SevenCapital to tackle fly-tipping and an open manhole at the North Star site.

The iconic leisure centre closed in the autumn of last year and is now scarred by graffiti and litter, despite the presence of a security patrol.

The Plastic-Free Swindon group has criticised the firm in a series of blog posts, culminating in a call for it to hand back its lease to Swindon Council.

Now SevenCapital is organising contractors to tidy up the site, and said the manhole had already been tackled.

A SevenCapital spokesperson said: “Drains were dealt with last week. We are in the process of appointing a contractor to cut hedges, do a general tidy up and empty litter bins in a couple of weeks’ time.”

The terms of the firm’s lease with the council state that it should keep landscaped areas ‘reasonably well-tended.’

This week, bins around the 1970s centre were overflowing, and surrounded by plastic bottles and other litter.

Plastic-Free Swindon accused the firm of ‘clear neglect’.

Earlier this year, campaigners from the group collected around 100 bags of rubbish from the site.

Anti-litter campaigner Josie Lewis said SevenCapital’s senior management had never apologised for the state of the land.

Instead, she said, the company’s PR team had written to campaigners to praise their community spirit.

“There wasn’t one ounce of apology. It was just a PR exercise.”

Central Swindon North Parish Council is also increasingly concerned at the appearance of the site.

Parish clerk Andy Reeves said it had been difficult to galvanise SevenCapital into action.

“It’s a positive step. But we need to make sure it’s not just a one-off reaction, and that there is an ongoing maintenance support programme now.

“It starts with rubbish and ends up with crime, so it’s got to be kept on top of.”

Local Labour councillor Jim Grant has also voiced his concern, and fears the state of the land could encourage more anti-social behaviour.

The council said SevenCapital was aware of its lease obligations.

It said: “We are working with SevenCapital on the opportunity to refurbish and improve the Oasis and SevenCapital are aware of their lease obligations.”