Historic railway building's decay now 'extreme'

The dereliction of Swindon's Mechanics' Institute is "now extreme", a risk register has said.

The Theatre Trust said the historical building in the town's Railway Village, which was a library and adult education institute for the workers of the Great Western Railway (GWR) in the mid-19th Century, is in "poor condition".

The trust's register claims owners Forefront Estates has indicated "no interest in the building" since buying it.

"There is strong support to save and restore the building from the Swindon Heritage Preservation Trust and also from the council," the trust said.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the register says Swindon Borough Council has conducted a condition survey and is carrying out urgent repair works.

"There is strong support to save and restore the building from the Swindon Heritage Preservation Trust and also from the council. However, the ownership of the building remains a barrier to the ambition," the register adds.

The building has been on the The Theatre Trust's at risk register since the list was begun in 2006.

In 2020, the council said it would start work on a compulsory purchase order but this has not begun.

However, the council has created a three-step plan to try to solve the issue.

It says the plan will "identify a viable and sustainable reuse of the building, identify a funding strategy for the restoration, considering a phased reopening of the building, and address the ownership of the building".

Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, the council's cabinet member for placemaking and planning, said: "We know how much the Mechanics' Institute means to Swindon, and we want to see the building refurbished and in use as much as anyone else.

"We recognise there are no quick fixes and the costs of bringing it back to life are huge. The Mechanics is also privately-owned which adds complexity to our plans.

"With these challenges in mind, we're working closely with partners to enable the bright future this fascinating building and its rich history deserve."

The building was owned by the workers of the GWR, then owned by British Rail. When it closed in 1986 it was put up for sale and bought by Forefront Estates in 2003.

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