Councillor Martin Tod, Leader of Winchester City Council, made the following announcement at Cabinet on 20 March 2025:

“We’ve had confirmation from the University of Southampton of a planned investment upwards of £30million to their premises in our city – but following their consideration of the options, which took account of the overall economic environment for the university sector and for construction projects more generally, investment in River Park Leisure Centre is not part of that plan. Obviously, I’m disappointed – but I understand the reasons - and now we need to look to the future. So, I have instructed officers to begin an open process of finding a new partner who can invest in the site – subject to three conditions:

• The green space – whether park, sports or play area, tennis courts or access through the site - is wholly out of scope.
• The public have a proper say during the process.
• Provision of the skate park and indoor bowling must be absolutely protected

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Last Updated: Friday 21 March 2025