New North Swindon Retail Park Plans Get Recommended for Approval

A proposed new development in North Swindon has had its plans recommended for approval by Swindon Borough Council. The new retail park, known as Swindon Gateway North, will be made up of five new retail units.

The new retail park will be made up of a 75,000 square-foot main unit, as well as two further 15,000 square-foot units, a 10,000 square-foot unit and a smaller 5,000 square-foot property, with parking for up to 317 visitors. The plans themselves will go before local councillors in a meeting on the 11th July.

Planning consultancy, Turley, on behalf of Icon Two Ltd., have submitted the plans, which they say will have a “positive impact on the local community” and will create jobs.

The new development is subject to a legal agreement that restricts to site to selling ‘bulky items only’.

The planning officer's report said: "In agreeing that the principle of development is acceptable for a bulky goods retail park only, the development is considered to represent good design proportionate to its purpose and will not generate any adverse highway impacts through the use of appropriate conditions."

It added that a "robust and unambiguous" legal agreement was required to protect Swindon town centre, while also securing development at Gateway North.

The plans were originally submitted in 2016 but were refused due to concerns about traffic and potentially harming the regeneration of Swindon town centre. However, once the revised plans were submitted in April 2017, they are in a position to recommend approval.

Businesses local to the new site, Aldi and David Lloyd, have voiced their support of Swindon Gateway North, saying that it will “increase footfall and compliment the existing offering in the area”.

There has, however, been objections received by the Swindon Business Improvement District, and the owners of Swindon's The Parade Shopping Centre, Regent Circus and The Brunel Centre, regarding potential harm to the regeneration to Swindon Town Centre.