• Swindon & Wiltshire Economy
• Monday March 10 2025
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Ambitious Swindon town centre rejuvenation scheme to be showcased to investors at House of Lords

Ambitious plans to rejuvenate Swindon town centre will be showcased at a House of Lords reception next week as the council and its partners look to attract millions of pounds of private sector investment.

The Heart of Swindon plan includes proposals to redevelop the Swindon Railway Quarter in what would be one of UK’s largest brownfield regeneration projects, providing high-quality jobs and thousands of new homes.

Landowners including Panattoni – who are developing the former Honda site – and FI Real Estate Management – owners of the renovated and refurbished former Tri Centre offices at Newbridge Square – will join Business West, which is working with Network Rail, Homes England, and Swindon Borough Council on the Railway Quarter scheme.

The House of Lords showcase on Monday evening will follow the presentation by council leader Jim Robbins of the Vision document during a visit to 10 Downing Street.

Developed last year with London-based architecture and planning practice Allies and Morrison, the Vision has been updated following consultation with residents last year.

It was developed working with town centre landowners, developers, educational institutions, government agencies and businesses.

It contains eight ‘ambitions’ which include:

• A Centre for Living: Creating new, mixed-use neighbourhoods in the heart of the town.
• A Creative Centre: Supporting Swindon’s growing creative community and delivering a new entertainment venue.
• A Centre for Learning: Giving Swindon’s higher education institutions a place in the centre and creating a hub for students.
• A Knowledge Centre: Bringing Swindon’s leading enterprises into the heart of town and providing spaces to support small businesses.
• A Green & Healthy Centre: Investing in and connecting our central parks, along with extensive greening of the centre through tree planting and creation of new pocket parks.
• A Vibrant Centre: Providing a broad mix of shops, places to eat and drink, and community spaces that bring vibrancy throughout the day and into the evening.
• A Connected Centre: Creating stronger connections into the heart of Swindon and between its districts, including across the rail line.
• A Proud Swindon: Committing to creatively re-using Swindon’s historic buildings and to ensure that development responds to the town’s rich history of innovation.

Each ambition is accompanied by a set of propositions that indicate how the ambitions could be realised in practice.

Among the 53 propositions is one that envisages providing up to 5,000 new homes in the town centre, many of which would be affordable.

Another involves exploring the redevelopment of the Brunel Centre, which could include shops, community space, workspaces, homes and public space providing apartment living for students, young people, and those downsizing.

The council is now courting investors with the opportunity to be part of delivering up to 8,000 new homes and amenities to support a Swindon population growing much faster than the national average.

The council and public sector partners are already investing more than £100 million in projects to improve infrastructure and unlock development.

“Swindon consistently punches above its weight in terms of its productivity, employment opportunities, affordable housing, good schools and access to green space,” said councillor Robbins.

“We have a buoyant economy and some great investment opportunities in Swindon. That’s why we are bringing together in Westminster senior figures from the worlds of finance, business and government to look to stimulate further investment in the town centre over the next decade.

“Residents and local businesses have already bought into our Heart of Swindon Vision as we have been very clear we want to breathe new life into the town centre to complement the significant investment that is taking place elsewhere in the Borough. Next week’s event is a great way to showcase that Swindon is very much open and ready for business.”

Colin Skellett, chair of Business West, said: “The Heart of Swindon offers a compelling vision of the public and private sector working together to drive sustainable prosperity.

“I look forward to this launch in Westminster Palace, and making the case for Swindon with world-leading institutional investors who have the capital and resources to make this vision a reality.”

Latest: Swindon regeneration plans showcased at Downing Street and House of Lords