Planning Approval Granted for Wichelstowe Development Featuring New Flats

Planning permission has been granted for a development on the outskirts of Swindon, paving the way for the construction of new flats. Permission was granted to a consortium comprising two house builders and Swindon Borough Council to construct on a vacant plot located in central Wichelstowe. These plans, designated as Canalside East and Canalside West, are slated to feature apartments, a health centre, a community centre, a gym, and a cafe. This scheme represents the most recent in a succession of developments initiated in the area since 2006, with over 4,000 houses and flats ultimately planned for construction there. The Canalside East project, positioned on land south of the Waitrose supermarket, constitutes the smaller of the two developments. It is designed to incorporate a four-storey building containing 14 flats, in addition to a gym and a cafe structure. Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, the two developers participating in the project, stated that the block’s “facade will have integrated lighting,” which “will help promote the night-time uses of the area.” Canalside West, located across the pedestrian bridge, is planned as a more extensive development. This section is expected to include a larger apartment block adjacent to Peglars Way, a health centre, a pharmacy, a community centre, and office spaces. Additionally, a separate building will house four units suitable for retail or restaurant establishments, with 12 apartments situated above them. The central square, accessible from the bridge and termed “the Meeting Place” by the developers, is characterized as “the heart of the development.” Beyond the main square, smaller land parcels surrounding the structures on both sides of the canal will be designated as “pocket open spaces,” featuring paving and seating. The application specifies: “The planters and paving design has been developed to evoke medieval field and furrow landscape, which can be found nearby.” The objective is to ensure the space’s design is distinctive to Wichelstowe.