The University of Southampton has pulled out of plans to redevelop a leisure centre in Winchester.

River Park Leisure Centre, in Gordon Road, closed in 2020, prior to the opening of Winchester Sport and Leisure Park at Bar End.

The University put forward a multi-million-pound scheme to transform the Winchester City Council-owned facility in 2021, with the university also running the Winchester School of Art nearby.

The scheme was expected to include larger performance and exhibition spaces that would be open to the public.

However, four years on, it was announced on Thursday that the university had pulled out of the plans, with regeneration at the site “not an option.”

READ MORE: Building works at Southampton General Hospital causes delays

In a statement, a spokesperson for the University of Southampton said: “We’ve been in discussion with Winchester City Council (WCC) for the last three years about the potential to redevelop the disused leisure centre site at River Park, adjacent to our School of Art campus.

“We are grateful for the support WCC has given as we worked to understand the opportunities the site could offer, both to the University and the wider Winchester community. We also held a public listening exercise which was well attended and provided useful feedback and insight.

“However, following detailed consideration and an assessment of our estates plan across all our campuses, we can confirm that redevelopment at this site is not an option.”

The university spokesperson added: “We remain committed to investing in our campuses to provide better facilities for our students and staff and will now pursue plans for improvements to our main Winchester campus and the renovation of Capital House, which will provide state-of-the-art teaching spaces for our students and staff.”

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Thursday, March 20, leader of Winchester City Council, Martin Tod, said he was “disappointed” by the decision and added the council had “confirmation from the University of Southampton of a planned investment upwards of £30 million to their premises in Winchester.”

He said: “I have instructed officers to begin an open process of finding a new partner who can invest in River Park Leisure Centre.”