New multi-million-pound industrial complex for Swindon gets green light

Published by

Peter Davison

Plans for a new £5 million-plus industrial development on the outskirts of Swindon town centre have been approved by Swindon Borough Council

Plans for a new £5 million-plus industrial development on the outskirts of Swindon town centre have been approved by Swindon Borough Council.

The news will see Reading-based developers Robert Cort Properties move ahead later this year with the demolition of the vacant Fraser Centre site on Faraday Road in the Dorcan area of town.

The existing sub-station, diesel generator and loading bays will all be removed before the site is transformed into a mix of seven standalone and linked industrial, storage, business and service units with onsite car and cycle parking.

New loading/unloading bays, reception access roads and landscaping will also be included as part of a commercial development package to create a total of 3,300 sq. m of industrial floor space.

Work on the units, which will benefit from access to good local transport links when completed in 2023, will create a number of jobs during the initial build out phase.

Further jobs in the supply chain, office and manufacturing sectors are expected to follow when the project is eventually finished, supporting economic growth and prosperity.

Planning estimates indicate that tens of thousands of pounds could be pumped into the local economy as occupiers move in and spend on services and amenities.

Nick Kirby, planning director at the Thames Valley office of planning and development consultancy Lichfields, which was instructed part way through the planning application to resolve planning objections relating to biodiversity requirements, tree protection, landscaping and the impact on neighbouring residents, has secured project approval from Swindon Borough Council.

He said engagement with planning officials was key to both justify the compliance of the current proposals with local planning policies, and provide additional information to resolve outstanding matters without loss of proposed floorspace.

“This development is another big boost for Swindon,” he added, “which continues to be sought after by businesses looking to take advantage of quality commercial accommodation in a great strategic location with excellent transport links and access to a skilled workforce.

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“There continues to be strong regional demand for decent industrial space , so new units in locations like Faraday Road, which benefit from investment in good planning, design and modern construction materials, will always be well sought after.”

A spokesperson for Robert Cort Properties added: “We’re delighted to be given the go ahead for this scheme, which will meet the strong demand for high quality industrial units to support business growth and expansion in important regional locations.”

The scheme has been designed by architects Oxford Architects.

Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country. An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts. Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.