Meeting with SevenCapital. On Weds 1st March 2023, three members of Save Oasis Swindon, (SOS) conducted a meeting at Polaris House, North Star with:
- The CEO of Seven Capital (Damien Siviter)
- the Leader of Swindon Borough Council Cllr David Renard
- Swindon Labour Leader Jim Robbins
- South Swindon Labour parliamentary candidate Heidi Alexander
- Cllr Jim Grant
- Cllr Gary Sumner,
- Robert Guy, Leisure Architect who has designed Leisure Centres like Coral Reef, and
- Ben Bell of Keep Swindon Tidy.
A productive meeting with SevenCapital was followed by a site walk around the exterior of the Oasis with the CEO of Seven Capital. Find below the statement we pushed out that day to the media:
‘All parties re-affirmed their commitment to a reopened Oasis, but also understand that a lot more work needs doing. Whatever decisions are reached they must be feasible, affordable and sustainable in today’s climate.
It pleased SOS to hear that Seven Capital stated that they’d build no houses until restoration of the Oasis, in line with existing contracts. It pleased SOS to hear that Seven Capital stated there’d be no houses built until restoration of the Oasis, in line with existing contracts. Further, the meeting welcomed the results of the recent SOS public survey. It emphasised how special the Oasis is to Swindon.
Swindon Borough Council confirmed its intention to conduct a review of leisure provision in Swindon to meet the future needs of the Borough.
Visuals
It was exciting to see for the first time, visual illustrations of the pool interior and slides for the revived Oasis, as well as eco dome. SOS hopes that at the quarterly public meetings proposed by SevenCapital, these plans and other information will be put into the public domain.
Further points to note:
- Seven Capital have agreed to improve communicate about their Oasis plans.
- SevenCapital will release interior pool and slide plans for the Oasis (which our Campaign have already seen), to the public this summer.
- They’ll get ISO Containers around the back of the Oasis in the next few weeks.
- Setting up a regular maintenance plan for the site with the Council
- Installation of better site lighting
- Refurbishment of existing skatepark for donation elsewhere – with another skatepark to return at the Oasis site at a different location.
- SBC will conduct a review of leisure facilities within the Borough, regardless of whether or not the Oasis sports hall stays or goes. (In light of the Oasis’ closure, until it’s reopened, the shutting of the Health Hydro for renovations, and other aging leisure centres).
Find our survey results here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1uTQJf-FJCbZii-amIKLeivIqqGDfVNnHLCqaQNWvo2E/htmlview?fbclid=IwAR2Xq4gLKiDsc1egTdgfu2oO5NWL4sxvBWIFzPsOW8ZorwmK7IiGaMjst1Q
Assurances
The CEO of SevenCapital assured us that houses wouldn’t get built on the Oasis site until its restoration. As this is already in their contract with SBC. They told the meeting rough timelines on when work on the Oasis may start – and when it may reopen. But SevenCapital are reluctant to issue these out to the public quite yet. Not until the issuing of contracts and things are more concrete.
Feasibility was the key take away word from the meeting. The focus is on restoring the pool and dome – the Sports Hall is the problematic side of the Oasis.
Feasibility was the key take away word from the meeting – the focus is on restoring the pool and dome – the Sports Hall is the problematic side of the Oasis.
We expect the release of the Oasis pool and slide plans to the public this summer. There’ll also be regular public forums established with SOS, the public and SevenCapital. We will publish future dates of those.
See our blog here: https://www.saveoasisswindon.co.uk/news/
