Town centre regeneration
What is the council's role in regenerating the town centre?
Business rates in Swindon are set by central government, which uses the revenue raised to fund public services. Meanwhile, most of the rents in the town centre are controlled by private landlords.
Where the council can help is through using its legal powers, assets, access to targeted funding, local knowledge and influence to unlock changes. Over the next three years it is leading on the investment of over £100m in the town centre’s public realm, transport links and other projects, which is expected to help increase and values and attract new commercial investment.
Most of this funding was secured through successful bids to central government, where each project had to demonstrate a return on investment and the economic benefit to the town centre. For example, how it would attract new investment and businesses. Read more about town centre regeneration projects.
They include the £33M redevelopment of Fleming Way with work beginning in September 2022 to create a new bus interchange to improve connectivity for residents, workers and visitors.
It will also create new pedestrian and cycle routes to make the centre of Swindon easier to navigate. The project is expected to help attract new businesses to Swindon town centre as well as further private sector investment, building on Zurich as the first occupant of the Kimmerfields regeneration scheme.
We’re also working with partners to deliver five town centre regeneration schemes worth £19.6M using money from the Government’s Towns Fund, including a project that will help bring the extensive wider vacant brownfield Kimmerfields site into productive use to support new homes and offices.
Through the five-year, £1.6M Swindon Heritage Action Zone programme, we are working with partners to restore and repair neglected public buildings and bring them back into use, improve public spaces and connections between the historic railway village and the town centre.
The snowball effect of this investment in the town centre, alongside that of the private sector in new amenities, homes and offices, can only help to attract further investment into Swindon.
While it’s true that there aren’t any quick fixes to the common challenges facing town centres, we’re committed for the long-haul and doing everything we can as part of a collective effort.