Employment Set to Rise in Swindon

05/05/2023

Plans to redevelop Honda Approved

The Honda car plant closed in 2021 having made 3.7 million cars during its 36 years in the town.

The site was bought in early 2022 by developer Panattoni, which specialises in distribution centres.

Swindon Borough Council’s planning committee  voted in favour of the proposed plans last month with it being one of the largest planning applications Swindon Borough Council has ever dealt with of this type.

The site is set to receive £700m in investment over the next five years and is forecast to generate £295m for the local economy each year according to senior development Directors at Panattoni.

The site is set to become one of the largest commercial sites anywhere in southern England, adding around 670,000 sqm of employment space to the Swindon economy.

It is hoped it will provide around 7,000 local jobs over the next decade, dependant on the innovations in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) this could be less, by comparison when Honda announced its closure in 2019, it employed around 2,500.

The increasing adoption of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in various industries, including the industrial and distribution sectors, has the potential to significantly impact the job market. In the context of B8 industrial units and distribution centres in the UK, this impact can manifest in several ways. It is important for regions across the UK to continue to see employment coming forward for smaller scale employment sites also.

Panattoni was responsible for building Swindon’s large Amazon fulfilment centre at the nearby New Eastern Villages allocated site in 2021.

With the increase in employment there is a strong need for housing in the local area.

Further details on the planning application can be found on SBC’ planning portal with reference: S/OUT/22/0284

Image: Swindon Borough Council Planning Portal

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