• Swindon & Wiltshire Culture
• Friday September 11 2026

Swindon’s £45 million state-of-the-art venue plan in doubt

A proposed £45 million entertainment venue in Swindon town centre is in serious doubt following a change in council leadership at May’s local elections.

Business leaders had flagged the proposed entertainment venue as a potential catalyst for regenerating central Swindon

The purpose-built, 2,000-capacity venue on the levelled former bus station site was unveiled earlier this year after the Government committed £20 million towards the project, with the council expected to borrow a matching £20 million.

But the minority Conservative administration, which took control of Swindon Borough Council in May, has questioned whether the authority can afford the borrowing at a time of acute financial pressure.

Council leader Gary Sumner said: “Any decision to borrow £20 million at a time when the council finances are perilous would be a really, really brave decision.”

He added: “I’m not willing to look residents of Swindon, who pay their council tax, in the face and say ‘that’s fine, I’m going to write a cheque for £20 million for this new entertainment venue and I do appreciate we’re cutting back on your services’.”

Cllr Sumner also raised doubts about the commercial viability of the scheme, warning: “In a cost of living crisis, the idea people are going to splurge £50 a ticket on a ticket to watch a show is challenging.”

The council was given permission by the Government earlier this year to sell assets to plug a predicted £22 million black hole in next year’s budget, underscoring the tight fiscal backdrop.

The venue plans were announced days before the local elections, when Labour ran the council.

Former leader Jim Robbins, who helped secure the £20 million government commitment alongside Swindon MPs, defended the scheme, saying: “Swindon deserves a modern, ambitious entertainment venue in the heart of our town.”

He argued the project would capitalise on central government support to drive town centre investment and replace the ageing Wyvern Theatre with a facility twice its size.

Despite his concerns, Cllr Sumner stopped short of ruling the project out entirely. He said the cabinet had been given the go-ahead to “work up the business case” for the development and added: “I’m absolutely not writing it off.”

Officers are now expected to refine the financial modelling and demand forecasts before elected members decide whether to proceed with borrowing.