2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Hannah Baker)
Plans to redevelop land around Swindon train station have taken a step forward with the project's first board meeting. The regeneration scheme - Swindon Knowledge Central - is looking to transform a large brownfield site to create a district of homes and business space, while keeping car parking for railway users. Heidi Alexander, Labour MP for Swindon South, chaired the inaugural meeting which also involved GWR, Network Rail, Homes England, Western Gateway, Swindon Borough Council, Business West, UKRI, LCR Property, the Department for Business and Trade, and the University of Bath.
It is hoped the project will help to transform the town and attract further private sector investment to Swindon. The station is a Network Rail priority for regional regeneration, following successful collaborations to upgrade Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central stations. Ms Alexander said: “The formation of this board is a real milestone.
Change will obviously not happen overnight, but we’re at a really exciting stage where we have a firm commitment from key public sector partners to making things happen and a genuine appetite from leading businesses. "There are very few places in the country that enjoy Swindon’s enviable location, and obvious opportunity - less than an hour from London on the train, a stone's throw from the country’s leading higher education institutions and plentiful land in public ownership - in the heart of town. "Creating a strong new commercial and residential district next to the railway line and giving Swindon a station we can be proud of is essential if we are to breathe new life into the town.
” The project will be one of the largest regeneration projects of its kind in the UK if it goes ahead. Colin Skellett, chair of Business West, said the board was "fully focused" on securing private sector finance to make the proposed scheme a success. "Business must take a lead in partnership with the public sector because government can’t do it alone," he said.
Councillor Jim Robbins, leader of Swindon Borough Council, added: “The board is determined to seize this huge opportunity to transform the area around Swindon station which has the potential to create new high-quality jobs and homes within the Heart of Swindon.".
