The newly-installed council administration wants an urgent meeting with the developers behind the proposed snow centre in Swindon.

The Labour administration wants to set up a meeting with Seven Capital to discuss the seemingly-stalled indoor snow centre nicknamed Snoasis, the closed Oasis centre, and the wider issue of developing the North Star area.

Councillor Jim Grant, the new cabinet member for communities and joint working, which includes leisure centres run for the council by other organisations as well as Oasis and Snoasis.

Swindon Advertiser: Councillor Jim Grant outside the Oasis centreCouncillor Jim Grant outside the Oasis centre (Image: Dave Cox)

He is also the ward councillor for North Star.

Having taken on the new job just last week, he said: ”I’m being brought up to speed by officers on where things are on both the Oasis and the indoor snow centre, and I am urgently seeking a conversation with Seven Capital.

“One of our priorities is to get the Oasis open again as soon as possible and we need to see what support we can provide, as an authority, to work with Seven Capital to help them achieve their ambitions of rebuilding the Oasis as soon as possible.”

Seven Capital has about 90 years left on a 99-year lease on The Oasis Centre, making the company the effective owner of the building.

The developer also has a contract with the borough council, by which it will construct an indoor snow centre on cleared land across the road from the Oasis, and in return will be able to build houses on the derelict land across  Hawksworth Way.

The Oasis centre has been shut since October 2020. The company which was running it, Better, said it wasn’t able to make a profit from keeping it open and said it would not open again after being closed for the second Coronavirus lockdown that year.

The Covid-19 pandemic and various lockdowns in response also seems to have been a factor in the failure to begin substantive work on the indoor snow centre.

Permission for the £270m development was granted in 2018, and a year later Seven Capital said it was getting businesses such as KFC, Empire Cinemas and Ellis Brigham outdoor shop to take tenancies in the building.

But there has been no further movement, and unless piling work is completed by March next year the plug could be pulled on the deal.

Seven Capital has been contacted for comment on the state of both developments but has not responded.