Landmark Bedford Leisure Site Brought to Market, Offers Major Investment Potential
Bedford Borough Council is looking for a long-term partner to take on and regenerate the Oasis Beach Pool site, with Colliers' Licensed & Leisure team acting on its behalf.
The 6.29-acre site on Cardington Road is being offered on a long leasehold for leisure use, and the council wants proposals from operators or investors that will keep it in leisure use and support wider regeneration in the town. Opened in 1991 as a family water leisure destination, the building's distinctive pyramid design is a familiar Bedford landmark. The site has parking for about 200 cars and sits next to the Aspects Leisure Park, a Tesco Extra and the River Great Ouse, with potential for additional outdoor leisure on adjoining riverside land.
Cllr Sarah Gallagher, the council's portfolio holder for customer experience, leisure and culture, said the council has committed to protecting the site for leisure and hopes the right partner can reinvent it as a modern, inclusive destination.
Bedford lies within the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor. The site is a mile from the town centre and close to the station, which offers journeys to London St Pancras in under 40 minutes, and has direct access to the A421 for the M1, A1(M), Milton Keynes and Cambridge. The borough's population is forecast to rise from 190,000 to 200,000 by 2035.
Universal Destinations & Experiences plans a theme park and resort just south of Bedford, subject to planning consent, which is expected to draw up to 12 million visitors a year and create 28,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Paul Bugeja of Colliers described the site as a rare chance to secure a large, well-connected leisure site in a town undergoing major change, close to both existing and planned leisure attractions.
