Users of the pool areas in the Oasis Centre, if and when it is re-opened might notice some differences to the poll and slides that are used to.
The centre’s de facto owner Seven Capital is seeking planning permission to demolish parts of the centre, and restore other parts, in order to be able to open it at some time during 2026.
Its application for specific listed building consent for the pool and dome included documents that detail how a new pool area might differ from the previous set-up.
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The domebuster slides will still be used, but instead of riders emerging into a shared splash pool – in the proposed new version there will be a separate much narrower pool of deeper water for each slide, rather in the manner of a log flume in a theme park.
The internal tower, and internal flume ride will disappear, as will the racer drop slides, with the small semi-circular extension to the main pool area also removed.
The children’s straining pool will become something to a youngster’s splash park with a large aquaplay installation of small slides and other toys in the centre of the small pool, which will actually become larger, using the space that is occupied by the internal flume access tower.
The shape of the main pool will be largely the same as it was, with the deep pool at the base of the slides filled in. The existing boulders will be retained and the angled side of the pool next to the boulders will be kept.
Next to that, the pool is largely rectangular and the application drawings show that lanes could be installed for those who want to use the pool for swimming lengths – which wasn’t part of the original vision for the pool, especially as that was where a wave machine was signalled.
The beach area of the pool which was an unusual feature of the original pool, opened in 1976, and is one reason why the pool and dome has been listed, will be retained. The planets and seating that go around the beach area of the pool will be retained.
The exisitng dome which is ‘leaky’ in terms of heat retention will be converted with new materials as used at the Eden Project, but the application says the original oasis scene murals of animals and plants, including, rather incongruously, a tiger, would not be retained as they are too damaged to be worth keeping.
The centre, which has been closed for nearly five years since the autumn 2020 lockdown, gave its name to the band Oasis when Noel Gallagher worked there as a roadie for Inspiral Carpets playing there in the early 1990s.
Seven Capital was awarded a 99-year lease on the site about 10 years ago, so the company is the effective owner, even though Swindon Borough Council owns the land. The centre was operated by specialist leisure company Better, but it said it was impossible to make enough of a profit in 2020 and handed back the keys. Better said the fabric of the building made it hugely expensive to heat and ventilate.
The famous dome and pool area was listed in 2022 making it much harder to be able to demolish and start again with a totally new design for the centre.
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