Swindon's protected Oasis Leisure Centre could be de-listed

Borough council leaders say they will try to have a 1970s domed swimming pool removed from a protective listing.

The dome over the closed Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon was listed last year by Historic England.

But the Conservative administration said the listing was preventing efforts to refurbish and reopen the centre.

Campaigners said they were "angry, but not surprised" at the council's move, adding trying to de-list will only cause further delays.

The listing means the site cannot be demolished and changes must be granted by a special application.

The Conservative group said the "soaring costs" of restoring the recently listed centre had made plans to bring it back into use "less viable", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

After discussing the matter with Seven Capital, which has a long lease on the site, councillors agreed to try and get the building removed from the protected list.

The group said while "such a process is challenging and will take time, ultimately it is far less time than trying to work within the heavily-restricted planning constraints caused by the listing".

Council Leader David Renard said: "I have said right from the beginning that we want to see a genuinely sustainable future for the Oasis, but it is now clear that it will be much more difficult whilst the current listing is in place."

Deputy leader Gary Sumner added council officers had worked tirelessly with Seven Capital to try to find a way forward for the Oasis.

"However, it is now clear that due to the listing, the costs of redeveloping the building have spiralled far beyond what was anticipated," he said.

Prior to the listing, Seven Capital submitted a planning application that would have seen the leisure centre brought back into use and an operator was secured to run it, the group said.

But since the listing it said the developer "had to go back to the drawing board" and"the renovation of the existing structure and listed domed roof would add many millions of pounds to the costs".

Mr Sumner said: "A substantially re-shaped building or even a new building on the site would serve our town for generations to come and could come forward much quicker.

"We will therefore do everything we possibly can to find a way to undo the restrictions that have been placed on the Oasis so we can get it back open for local people and visitors to enjoy once again."

Reacting to the news, the Labour group's Adorabelle Shaikh said: "The dome is iconic and its listing gave hope to campaigners that the facility might be saved.

"The Conservatives need to step up, commission some independent reports and hold a proper engagement process to see how to proceed."

They needed to "understand the reasons behind the listing" and work with groups including Heritage England and Save the Oasis Campaign team to understand their positions, she said.

Save Oasis Swindon said: "The listing happened only nine months ago, with valid reasons and justification.

"There is no reason why Seven Capital and Swindon Borough Council cannot fully restore and make the current building energy efficient and viable with new dome panels and solar energy.

"We want both leisure and heritage preserved in Swindon. The people of Swindon want a fully restored and reopened Oasis - trying to de-list it will only kick the can down the road and delay reopening further."

Historic England said although it was rare for a building to be de-listed, it was possible and any decision would be made by the secretary of state for Digital, Culture Media and Sport.

A guide produced by Historic England says the secretary of state can only take into account a building's architectural and historic interest when considering an application for de-listing.

"An application for de-listing may be made because new evidence is available about the lack of special architectural or historic interest of the building, or a material change of circumstances, for example, fire damage." it said.

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