Carriage Works shortlisted for buildings award

Swindon’s Carriage Works has been nominated for a major buildings award.

The heritage building is one of 14 shortlisted for the Building Conservation category at the RICS Awards, South West. It is also one of four projects shortlisted in the Regeneration category.

The redevelopment of the Carriage Works is part of Forward Swindon’s ambitious plans to rejuvenate the town centre.

Around 60,000 sq ft of the West Shed former railway works will be converted into flexible work spaces for large and small businesses.

Meanwhile, the East Shed will provide 58,556 sq ft of workspace for a similar mix of businesses, tech companies, start-ups and SMEs needing affordable, flexible space in easy reach of the station, London and Bristol.

The judges said “the facility offers a superb new opportunity for knowledge-based businesses and smaller innovative companies to base themselves in a Grade 2 listed building, close to Swindon’s town centre”.

Meanwhile, Stockton House near Warminster is also shortlisted in the hotly-contested Building Conservation category.

The Grade I listed Jacobean manor house was bought in 2014 to Moonpig cards founder and Dragon’s Den investor Nick Jenkins, who has set about restoring the property.

The competition is organised by the trade body the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The winners will be announced on Thursday, May 17 in Bristol.