In November, GLL announced that Swindon Oasis Leisure Centre would not be reopening after lockdown. Why did they make that decision and what is being done now to save the centre?
We take a closer look.
A Long-Term Sustainable Future
The news that the iconic leisure centre facility was to shut after 44 years of operation came as a crushing blow to the locals of Swindon, with thousands of families using the leisure centre to swim, maintain fitness, enjoy sport and take part in other leisure, social and fitness activities.
However, the centre isn’t going down without a fight, after David Renard, the leader of Swindon Borough Council, set up a task force, or Cabinet Member Advisory Board.
The group will be cross-party in nature to reflect the broad interest of the surrounding community and features four Conservative representatives and three Labour councillors. Together they will assess ideas and strategies for returning the Oasis back to profitable life so that it can avoid being forced into closure.
Swindon council owns both the building itself and the land that it sits upon, however, GLL – the specialist leisure operator which trades as Better – runs the company, and the building has a 99-year lease from Seven Capital.
Operating company, GLL, said in November that it was no longer possible to run the centre profitably, and confirmed its plans to close the centre for good after the latest national lockdown.
Cllr Renard said that the local administration “believes the Oasis does have a long-term sustainable future, and that it remains the responsibility of Seven Capital as landlord to find a new operator to replace GLL.”
Taxpayer Money Not Needed
The other Conservative members of the taskforce are councillors Vinay Manro and Roger Smith along with cabinet members Gary Sumner and Dale Heenan.
Cllr Heenan said that almost two-thirds of Britain’s leisure centres needed investment as a matter of urgency, explaining that the facilities played an urgent role in local communities thanks to their work in supporting physical and mental health and wellbeing alike.
He added that the task force would be working hard to see how it could find ways to support the significant degree of refurbishment needed to bring the centre back to life. He noted that the members of the task force weren’t part of the original outsourcing decision which saw Seven Capital take over the building, and added that there would be a constructive challenge to the business about its plans. The group has also confirmed that it hopes taxpayer money will not be needed to bring Oasis back into life.
Jim Grant, the Labour group leader welcomed the fact that the group had been set up as a cross-party concern, so that the members could work together and take on the challenge of ensuring that the Oasis could be renovated and opened again as soon as impossible, strongly encouraging Severn Capital to do what was needed to ensure a leisure centre was open and running on the site.
