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'Poor-quality' town centre needs 'reinvention'

Aled Thomas
Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC The centre of Swindon with the David Murray John tower block in the background and a new build - but empty - shop with railings in front of it. It has a green sign saying #thebestofswindonBBC
The centre of Swindon has been described as "poor quality"

The centre of Swindon needs "reinvention" according to a new report.

The assessment was put together by a senior Swindon Borough Council officer following criticism from the public in meetings.

The report added: "Central Swindon, and in particular Swindon town centre, is characterised by a poor-quality built environment."

A number of high-profile retailers have pulled out of the town centre in recent years including House of Fraser, Debenhams and Marks & Spencer, but significant work is under way at the moment with Fleming Way being remodelled.

The inside of the Brunel shopping centre in Swindon taken from the first floor. There are a number of empty shop units. In front there are empty escalators. There is a sign saying "The Crossing". There are no people in the shot.
The Brunel Centre in Swindon opened in the late 1970s but now has a number of empty units

And travelling around central parts of the town came in for specific criticism in the report.

"Movement into and around the centre for all transport modes is difficult, in particular for visitors who are not familiar with its layout," the assessment added.

The report uses the word centre to cover all of central Swindon, not just the main shopping streets, which it calls the town centre.

"The centre needs reinvention," the report goes on to say.

A view of a road in Swindon where you can see a hole in the road, pipes and cables poking out and fencing behind it. There are cones are cars driving around.
Significant work has been taking place on roads around the centre of Swindon

"The centre needs to attract quality, new investment that will make it a more attractive and vibrant destination, with a diversified range of land uses.

"There is a need to knit together the currently disparate districts of the centre – comprising the commercial town centre, North Star, The Works and Old Town.

"There is also a need to support the centre's diversification to be more than just a shopping location."

The report describes initiatives such as the Kimmerfields and Fleming Way projects and adds: "In terms of delivering 'quick wins', officers have been preparing a schedule of vacant buildings in the centre to enable investment opportunities, including "meanwhile use" opportunities, to be matched with suitable, available, vacant buildings.

"Low cost, but high impact public realm improvement and space animation schemes are in the works for Havelock Square and Wharf Green.

"Highest priority amongst the vacant buildings are the former Debenhams and former Wilkinsons in (Fleet St in which tentative exploration of conversion to a mixed arts, foodhall and business incubator are being explored."

The report will be presented at a council meeting on Thursday.

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