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Listed leisure centre to undergo structural tests

BBC A view of the large built dome from a railing - both look like they need cleaning, with foliage growing. Under a blue sky.BBC
The famous dome will stay after being listed.

A listed leisure centre, currently closed and awaiting refurbishment, is to undergo special testing to ensure the building is still safe.

The famous domed Oasis in Swindon will include visual inspections and striking the surface with hammers to see whether the reinforced concrete is still in a good and safe, condition.

Council planning officers approved the plan, saying it will help with the "overall longer-term aims of renovating the building and bringing it back into use".

It has been shut since 2020 when the company running it said it was no longer financially viable.

LDRS An old wall, looking dirty and damp with a fading and damaged mural of palm treesLDRS
The walls will be tested for integrity.
LDRS A view of the inside of the Oasis - rusty railings with a wall behind with peeling paint and an old mural of palm treesLDRS
There will also be visual inspections.

The complex is owned by Swindon Borough Council, it is leased by Seven Capital, which has been making the plans.

The application said: “If surface damage is caused as a result of hammer testing, this is a result of the concrete having deteriorated and is an intended, necessary, result of the procedure in order to allow inspection of the defects present."

In approving the proposal council planning officers wrote: “The works will assist with overall longer-term aims of renovating the building and bringing it back into use. This is a public benefit.”

Both the council and Seven Capital said a re-opening date by the end of 2026 is feasible.

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