The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 71: Spring 2024 | Page 7

BUSINESS NEWS

WORK BEGINS AT FORMER HONDA SITE

The demolition of the ex-Honda factory in Swindon has started after planning permission was granted by Swindon Borough Council .
The £ 700 million redevelopment of the South Marston site will include 11 buildings which can be used as manufacturing sites or warehouses .
The developer , Panattoni , expects the project to generate 7,000 jobs with the addition of a further 5,000 spin-off roles . It will add £ 295 million each year to the local economy .
The Honda car plant closed in 2021 having made 3.7 million cars during its 36 years in the town .
Following the closure , the factory and adjacent former airfield were acquired by Panattoni , renowned for constructing the town ’ s Amazon fulfilment centre and specializing in premium distribution hubs .
The formal decision notice to approve the creation of an industrial park on the site was issued in December 2023 .
It means the final agreements are now all signed off between developers Panattoni and Swindon Borough Council .
It is understood that around £ 7.5m will be spent on improvements to the immediate area and the borough as a whole , including 50 sites , to offset the damage redeveloping the former airfield will do to the local ecology .
Although no tenants have been announced , Panattoni is already marketing the site , which it calls Panattoni Park . A spokesperson confirmed that there will be more updates on the site in the coming months .

New lease of life for Swindon ’ s Mechanics Institute

An eight-figure sum could be spent on one of the town ’ s most famous buildings to bring it back into use . The Mechanics Institute was once a hive of activity during the height of the railway works , and a new roadmap for its future is being considered by the local council .
Following the closure of the town ’ s railway works in the 1980s , The Mechanics Institute has sat empty and decaying . It is currently classed as ‘ at risk ’ by the Theatres Trust .
Remedial work to bring it back into use is estimated to stretch into tens of millions of pounds and would take several years .
Despite this , a new plan including expert advice from Historic England will be presented to Swindon Borough Council ’ s Cabinet .
It sets out some obvious fundamental steps to begin the process including securing
a viable and sustainable new use for The Mechanics Institute , identifying how to fund the building and addressing its ownership .
The plan asks for £ 110,000 in potential funding to progress the project . The Council will also work with local partners on the project including the Swindon Heritage Preservation Trust ( formerly the Mechanics Institution Trust ) and Historic England .
If approved , the new roadmap will mark the first step in the slow process to bring the building back into use .
Councillor Marina Strinkovsky , Swindon
Borough Council ’ s Cabinet Member for Heritage , Art and Culture , said , “ The Mechanics building has played a huge role in the history of Swindon and it ’ s a crying shame it has been empty and disused for so long . It ’ s time we took the necessary steps to secure a future for it back at the heart of the community .
“ While the building ’ s restoration is undoubtedly a huge task , this new roadmap clearly sets out what we need to do in order to bring it into use .
“ I look forward to taking on this challenge
and to finally seeing the Mechanics and the Railway Village alive and thriving anew .”
Bob Wright , Chairman of the Swindon Heritage Preservation Trust , said , “ We believe the cabinet paper proposals are the best chance that Swindon has had to deliver a restored Mechanics since the formation of the Trust .
“ This paper is the culmination of all the work given by many to achieve a restored Mechanics Institute .”
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