Politics: Goodbye to Honda and hello to Panattoni

Swindon Council Leader David Renard's monthly column

Last month Swindon marked the end of an era when the production line at Honda’s South Marston factory came to a halt for the final time.

Honda has been a fantastic employer in Swindon for 30 years and the Japanese carmaker has touched the lives of so many people in our town. Even if you haven’t been directly involved in the production at Honda, I’m sure you know of someone who has.

But after saying goodbye to Honda our thoughts have very quickly turned to the future and I’m very pleased that the new owners of the site, Panattoni, have wasted no time in sharing their vision for what will replace the car giant.

I have met several times with representatives of Panattoni because, as a council, we need to make sure we get the very best outcome for the site so that a range of job opportunities are created for local people.

At my last meeting with Panattoni, which I attended with my Cabinet colleagues Councillor Gary Sumner and Councillor Tim Swinyard, I was very pleased to hear about the huge economic boost the redevelopment of the site will bring.

Panattoni had previously announced its intention to invest £700m into Swindon, but the estimated 16,000 jobs that will be created - 9,000 of which are expected to be taken by Swindon residents, is a real coup for our town. And, as a I mentioned earlier, there will be a diverse mix of job opportunities for local people.

When you add on the additional 860 construction jobs that will be created over the next decade you begin to get an idea of the scale of development we are talking about.

The cumulative added value (Gross Value Added) of goods and services to the local area is predicted to be £1.4bn over the next 10 years.

Panattoni’s vision is to see the site transformed into a world-class logistics and modern manufacturing centre. The Honda factory would be demolished to make way for a number of employment uses, including light industrial, storage and distribution and general industrial and manufacturing uses.

Making the site carbon neutral will be a key part of the plans as is providing sustainable travel links and connectivity. There are plans to improve and maximise landscaping and biodiversity on the site too.

Within the proposals there will be a large number of electric vehicle charging points on site and a new electric bike or scooter hire scheme for employees. The scheme will make electric cars, bikes or scooters available to employees who have used sustainable means to get to work. Improved bus links are also on the agenda.

But Swindon Link readers can have their say on the plans. Please have a look at Panattoni’s website and take the opportunity to feed in your views. The consultation is currently open and will run until 15 September at www.panattoniswindon.co.uk