The Coate Water splash park is in such a poor state it will not be reopening. 

Swindon Borough Council made the shock announcement on Monday morning, confirming that the well-loved amenity had reached the end of its lifespan, and they had made the decision not to reopen it this summer.  

At the beginning of July, the facility was closed after developing a fault during routine maintenance. 

This closure was only supposed to last a number of days but locals became concerned when it did not reopen on time, and it has remained closed since then despite the council's hopes to reopen it for the summer. 

Now, specialist contractors say the latest repairs would cost more than £10,000 and could not be carried out until the middle of August, leaving little time for children to enjoy the park before it is closed again for the autumn and winter period.

The Council’s cabinet member for the environment and transport, councillor Chris Watts, has now tasked council officers to bring forward plans to start the procurement process for a brand-new splash park with the aim of it opening next year.

Councillor Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: “Coate Water is one of the Borough’s most loved country parks and we want to make it even better, which includes ensuring the facilities are fit for purpose for the people who use it.

"Since I took over as cabinet member it has been clear that the splash park was at the end of its life and would need to be completely replaced.

“We had hoped we would get one more summer out of it, but the plant is creaking at the seams and could not stand up to the latest routine maintenance.

"We’ve therefore taken the decision now not to spend thousands of pounds for just a few weeks’ of use and to concentrate all our efforts on creating a new splash park which can be used for many years to come.

“Through the procurement process, we will be reaching out to interested parties and stakeholders to help guide us to our final decision by creating a focus group."

Coun Watts added that the splash park replacement will form part of a larger plan for the country park. 

"This will form part of a larger plan to re-open the golf facilities, provide an enhanced catering offering and a cleaning program for the lake to allow greater and more diverse use.”