Swindon Borough Council wants a new borough-wide plan for sports and leisure facilities.

And it is willing to pay a consulting firm £65,000 over the next year or so to do so.

Tender information on the website Bidstats, which advertises public sector contracts says the council wants a new strategy for sports and leisure for the new Local Plan it is putting together.

The borough council’s notice inviting bids says: “The council is keen to commission suitably qualified consultants to attain new evidence.

“An update to this work will provide the council with up-to-date data and a strategy to provide robustness and direction to inform decision-making impacting the provision of sport and leisure facilities and ancillary services within the borough.

"This Integrated Sports Assessment will form part of the evidence base for the council's new Local Plan.

“The commission will comprise three main components: 1. Outdoor Sports Strategy Update 2. Indoor Sports Facilities Assessment 3. Connecting Places Spatial Strategy and Action Plan.

“The initial contract term will be for 14 months.”

The deadline for bids to be made is June 9, with delivery of the work expected by the end of August 2024.

Leisure facilities has been something of an issue in Swindon, and for the council over the last few years.

In 2018 the council gave developer Seven Capital permission to build a multimillion-pound indoor snow centre at cleared land in North Star, but no substantive work has begun on the project.

The Health Hydro has closed for an 18-month revamp, and the remaining five leisure centres in Swindon were threatened with reduced hours over last winter owing to increasing costs to the company which runs them, Better.

And the iconic Oasis pool and leisure centre has been closed since late 2020, with its owners, Seven Capital hoping to largely rebuild the centre while retaining the dome and pool area which were subject to a listing order last year.

Local Plans are legally required documents which set out how a town or city might develop – they allocate space for housing, employment land, leisure facilities, transport arrangements and green spaces.

Swindon Borough Council is going back to revise the revision of its plan, after removing land from Highworth which it had allocated for housing. The authority hopes to have something to send out for public consultation later this year and a fully worked-up plan to put before the Planning Inspector for examination in late 2024.