We are committed to finding a new partner to invest in the site, on a long lease basis, as long as the following three conditions are met:  

• 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 

UPDATE: November 2025

Commercial property agents Lambert Smith Hampton have now been appointed to market the site.

Marketing is scheduled to commence mid November 2025, with Expressions of Interest due back in later December. This process will be followed by a further public engagement session early next year. 

UPDATE: July 2025

On 15 July 2025, the council's cabinet agreed to start the process of looking for a new partner to invest in the former leisure centre site.

Prior to this, we held a public drop-in event on Thursday 26 June, to support our public engagement survey on the site. This gave people an opportunity to hear the proposed approach, understand the process and timeline for finding a new partner to invest, learn about the opportunities and constraints of the site, ask the project team questions and for people to provide their feedback. 

Public Engagement Event information boards: Former Leisure Centre Site- Public Information Boards June 2025 ^{(pdf, 14.3mb)}

Read our latest press release- Next steps for the former leisure centre site - Winchester City Council

Have a question? Email the project team- regen@winchester.gov.uk 

UPDATE: March 2025

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

Last Updated: Friday 7 November 2025