Swindon £100m+ Road Upgrades

18/11/2020

Swindon Borough Council will be spending more than £100m on eight major road schemes across Swindon.

Some of the road upgrades are in progress whilst others are expected to begin at the start of 2021 including crucial work for the construction of the 8,000+ homes at The New Eastern Villages. The link below shows detail of the major road schemes along with timeframes:

https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20136/transport_strategy/907/major_road_schemes

Amazon in Swindon

29/10/2020

Employment land within the New Eastern Villages will see Amazon take up residency in what is said to be the biggest single warehouse sale in British history. The leader of Swindon council says it’s a massive vote of confidence in the town.

Developer Panattoni was given permission in June for a huge new warehouse to be built at Symmetry Park – just off the A420 opposite the Gablecross police station – in what was described as a £400m investment in Swindon. While Panattoni is staying on the project as the developer, it has sold the warehouse to Legal and General Investment Management for £200m.

Amazon’s expansion, including the single 2.3 million sqft letting at Panattoni Park in Swindon, accounted for one-third of all 2020 take-up so far, a total of 11.5 million sq ft. The data from Cushman & Wakefield comes as Knight Frank released predictions that e-commerce will stimulate demand for up to 92 million sqft of new UK warehouse space in the coming three years.

The new warehouse space at New Eastern Villages is expected to be completed towards the tail end of 2021.

Image: istock

Planning Permission Secured for 1,550 homes

26/08/2020

Capital Land Property Group has secured planning permission from Swindon Borough Council for Great Stall East, Gateway of the New Eastern Villages (NEV) development which is set to transform the eastern side of the town.

Capital Land will deliver a minimum of 1,550 homes along with a primary and secondary school within the Great Stall East development. There will be a selection of 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedroom private and affordable homes, each designed to fit the context of the local area and a contemporary lifestyle.

“I am Swindon born and raised and my family roots here date back 3 generations. In fact, the whole Capital Land team has an emotional attachment to the town, so the news that we have secured planning permission after years of meticulous preparation is tremendously satisfying,” says founder of Capital Land, Jeremy Francis.

“Not only will we build some great homes for people to live in, our plans show that we will create a genuine ‘village’ community, with all the local amenities you would expect in a thriving location and the kind of expansive green spaces families of all ages will appreciate. I take pride in all my projects, but being able to contribute to Swindon’s growing reputation as a residential and business hub is extra special.”

“Securing planning permission for Great Stall East is the result of several years of detailed technical and design work and it follows very constructive and collaborative meetings with Swindon Council, not to mention a public consultation.  Involvement of local people in our decisions is key and I want to thank all those involved with the project for helping us achieve this major milestone. We are talking about an investment of over £400 million, so this is a really significant project for the town’s future.”

As Capital Land plans to play a central role in delivery of key infrastructure as well as having a continued influence over design and delivery of the scheme, Capital Land will look to create hundreds of direct jobs during the approximately 14-year construction period, as well as many indirect jobs in the construction and supply sectors.

New Eastern Villages (NEV) is the largest and most important urban regeneration development within the UK. Located to the East of Swindon it is positioned in the Wiltshire Countryside between the North Wessex Downs and the Cotswolds. Identified in Swindon’s strategic growth area within the adopted Swindon Borough Local Plan 2026, it will comprise 8,000 -12,000 homes, a new District Centre, 40ha of employment and associated health, retail, education and leisure facilities.

Capital Land thank the design team who assisted in achieving this planning permission.

1,550 Home Great Stall East recommended for approval

25/08/2020

The New Eastern Villages key development Great Stall East has been recommended for approval by Swindon Borough Council planners. Since the application was first submitted in November 2017, Capital Land has continued to work constructively with the Council to ensure a well-designed scheme is delivered for Swindon.

New Eastern Villages (NEV) is one of the largest and most important urban regeneration developments within the UK. Capital Land will be delivering a minimum of 1550 private and affordable homes at the Great Stall East site along with a much needed primary & secondary school within the development.

Planning officers have recommended that planning permission be granted for Great Stall East. If approved the development will see the needed expansion of Swindon and the necessary infrastructure come forward for the area.

The committee meeting starts at 6pm on Tuesday, August 25 and a link will be provided for the public to be able to follow the proceedings.

Find out more here: https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/18670832.1-500-home-great-stall-east-recommended-approval-swindon-planners/

UK Radical Planning Reform

01/07/2020

The UK’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has announced what is likely to be the most radical reform to the UK’s planning system since the 1940s. The intention of the reform is to make it quicker and better to build well designed homes where people want to live.

2,500 homes approved at New Eastern Villages

10/06/2020

Swindon Borough Council’s planning committee met on the 9^th June online to determine the outcome of one of the New Eastern Villages planning applications.

The committee gave outline planning permission for up to 2,500 new homes at Lotmead Farm. The site is located in the centre of the New Eastern Villages and will see the delivery of community facilities, employment use, a primary school, sports pitches and other necessary infrastructure.

The application was initially refused planning but with some changes to the application it was given the green light to proceed. Cllr Gary Sumner, the Cabinet Member responsible for delivering the NEV, said: “I am delighted that the Planning Committee last night gave the thumbs up to the outline plans for Lotmead. This is the largest of the proposed NEV villages and I look forward to receiving more detailed plans at a later date.”

With such a large site being given outline permission in the centre of the NEV it is imperative that the correct infrastructure is in place to service the area.

Planning White Paper

02/04/2020

Following the announcements in the 2020 Budget the government’s plans for housing and planning have been put forward in their policy paper, Planning for the future.

In order to achieve the ambitious target of 300,000 new homes a year the government have stated that they will bring forward a series of major publications and legislate to deliver lasting change.

In the Spring, the UK government have said they will publish their ambitious Planning White Paper which offers new and inventive solutions to reform the planning system making it work for the coming century.

Within the initial planning for the future policy paper they have said that in order “To achieve this mission, the government will bring forward a series of major publications and legislate to deliver lasting change. This will start with an ambitious Planning White Paper in the Spring to modernise our planning system, ensuring it supports the delivery of homes that local people need and creates more beautiful and greener communities. We will introduce a Building Safety Bill to bring about the biggest change in building safety for a generation and a Renters’ Reform Bill to provide greater stability for those who rent their homes. To ensure that residents in social homes are treated fairly we will publish a Social Housing White Paper. Taken together these will form the bedrock of a housing strategy to be published later in the year, setting out our longer-term plans to deliver the homes this country needs and create a fairer housing market.”

Read the full policy paper here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-for-the-future

£8.5m A420 Upgrade Starting

10/03/2020

The necessary upgrade works to the Gablecross roundabout on the A420 in Swindon is due to start in the coming months. The works are needed as the road network is set to see the eastern expansion of Swindon with the New Eastern Villages.

£8.5m has been allocated to upgrade this roundabout in order to cater for existing and future traffic. The work is part of the major road improvements with which £72.5m has been allocated.

Read the full article here: https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/18290994.8-5m-revamp-ofa420-gable-cross-roundabout-set-start/

Image: https://www.swindon.gov.uk/downloads/file/4600/nev_gable_cross_roundabout_plan

Swindon’s Local Plan Review – Part 2

05/02/2020

Swindon Borough Council has prepared a Local Plan which it proposes to submit to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Local Plan relates to the whole Borough and provides a strategy for delivering growth for Swindon Borough up to 2036. The document provides the vision, objectives, strategic policies, development management policies and site specific allocations for delivering new homes, jobs, services, facilities and infrastructure.

Swindon’s Local Plan review is still ongoing and has moved to the next stage in the process.

New Eastern Villages the Future for Swindon

24/01/2020

The New Eastern Villages is one of the largest developments in the UK currently. It will see the delivery of around 8,000 needed new homes in the area and nationally. The NEV will also be providing new schools for that area and the wider Swindon population, areas of employment, numerous sports facilities and other community facilities.