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

UK House Price Index – December 2022

15/02/2023

The Latest House Price Index has been released today, 15^th February 2023, calculated using data from HM Land Registry.

The data shows that the Average UK house prices increased by 9.8% in the 12 months to December 2022. This was down from 10.6% in the 12 months to November 2022. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the average UK house price decreased by 0.2% between November and December 2022, following an increase of 0.5% in the previous month. The average UK house price was £294,000 in December 2022, which is £26,000 higher than 12 months ago but a slight change from last month’s record high of £296,000.

See the full report here: Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 15 February 2022, ONS website, statistical bulletin, UK House Price Index: December 2022.

Image: Office for National Statistics

Planning in 2023

03/01/2023

2023 will see the UK taking some major steps forward with planning policy reform. The UK government has announced measures to place local communities at the heart of the planning system as part of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. The measures aim to build the right homes in the right places with the right infrastructure, ensuring the environment is protected and giving local people a greater say on where new development should be placed.

Railway Infrastructure Upgrade In Swindon

03/11/2022

Swindon could see an additional railway station built in the Town. The new station has been hinted at by Gary Sumner, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, speaking to members of the council’s Scrutiny Committee, Mr Sumner explained that the authority is partnering with England’s Economic Heartland to carry out a route study of a railway track on the A420 corridor.

The New Eastern Villages is the UK’s largest greenfield development and will include much needed social and green infrastructure. The station is being considered with the expansion of the NEV and the continued growth of its local community and economy.

Full BBC article here: https://bbc.in/3zFO3qZ

Net Zero Building Regulation Changes

14/06/2022

England will see changes to it’s Building Regulations this month with the Government working towards their Net Zero goals. The changes are to make new homes in England more energy efficient and reduce CO2 emissions.

There are updates to documentation covering energy efficiency, ventilation and overheating. These are some of the initial changes being instigated ahead of the Future Homes and Buildings Standards set to be introduced in 2025.

From the 15^th June 2022 the revised Building Regulations will come into effect. There will be a transitional period where planning works that have been submitted before this date will still be under the jurisdiction of the current standards if the proposed building works start before 15^th June 2023.

Find out further information here on the approved regulations: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/approved-documents

Major Infrastructure Completion

09/12/2021

The upgrade works to a major piece of infrastructure in Swindon is nearing completion. The White Hart junction has needed a major overhaul for some time and with the New Eastern Villages coming forward developer and Governmental funding has provided the resource necessary for this to take place.

The roundabout was reopened last month following major reconstruction. It is a key piece of infrastructure connecting the New Eastern Villages in the East of Swindon to the Town and major arterial road networks.

The overall £30m White Hart junction improvement scheme is due to be completed in February next year when the new northbound slip road to the A419 will be opened.

The continued progression of this infrastructure is a key milestone in unlocking and bringing the needed social infrastructure and homes forward at The New Eastern Villages.

The full article on the Swindon Borough Council website is available here: https://preview.mailerlite.com/e0u6u9

NEV Planning Granted

08/09/2021

With the finalisation of the S106 agreement outline planning permission has been granted for 1,550 new homes on land at Great Stall East, just south of the A420 to the east of Swindon. The planning application for the development, which was submitted by Capital Land Strategic Planning, will also deliver a new primary and secondary school, a site for a Park and Ride, as well as a sports hub.

The Capital Land team received a resolution to grant August 2020 and finalised the S106 agreement a year later receiving the grant of planning permission at the end of last month. The team progressed immediately on to the next stage of the planning process working up detailed designs and beginning planning work to discharge conditions since the end of summer last year.

NPPF 2021 Update

21/07/2021

The National Planning Policy Framework was revised on 20 July 2021 and sets out the government’s updated planning policies. Some of the key changes will see a strengthened requirement around design quality and the use of more green infrastructure in new developments.

Read the full National Panning Policy Framework here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework–2

Capital Land purchase 212-acre site at Swindon’s New Eastern Villages development

04/01/2021

Swindon-based Capital Land has completed the purchase of 212 acres of land at New Eastern Villages (NEV) Great Stall East, a significant step in the largest and most important urban regeneration development in the UK.

The next round of detailed planning is in progress and plans are for work to commence on the site in 2022. The Great Stall East development will be approximately 20% of the NEV development and is set to include 1,550 homes, a secondary school, a park and ride, and a sports hub.

Energy House 2.0

20/11/2020

Construction has started on the University of Salford’s Energy House 2.0.

The Energy House 2.0 is a £16 million home energy test laboratory in which research can be undertaken around energy use in homes/small buildings and measure precisely the effect different weather conditions have.

The facility will allow the University’s energy and environment academics to create snow, rain, wind and solar exposure in two giant closed chambers. The varying conditions will be able to go as low as -20°C all the way up to 40°C, replicating a wide range of different environments. The project is the largest of its kind in Europe and has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The University is building on their established buildings and energy efficiency research from the original Salford Energy House built in 2011.

With UK Government Policy in place to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 The Energy House 2.0 will be a major research facility for the UK. It will aid in giving insights on how insulation materials, smart energy products and batteries respond to different climate conditions. This information will inform industry on how to respond and build more energy efficient homes.

Find out more about Energy House 2.0 here: https://www.salford.ac.uk/news/energy-house-20-ground-broken-weather-control-energy-lab

Image: University of Salford