I appreciate the cross-party support for the 'Heart of Swindon' roadmap for regeneration in Swindon's Town Centre as announced by the Labour administration.
It closely aligns with many of the initiatives undertaken during our tenure.
In 2018, former Leader of the Council David Renard expressed in a local newspaper that Swindon is "...a town that punches well above its weight." It is encouraging to see the current Leader, Councillor Jim Robbins, use the same phrase in this week's media.
Swindon's key strengths include innovation, high productivity, regional connectivity, rich heritage and an excellent quality of life. In 2021, I had the honour of launching our Cultural and Heritage-driven Transformation at a high- profile conference in London. That year, I also led a virtual workshop on residential development opportunities in Central Swindon and another on the regeneration of the Fleet Street and Bridge Street area. This area has significant potential due to its proximity to the station and the previous administration's flagship development at Kimmerfields.
In 2021, Panattoni announced a £700 million investment in the former Honda site, bringing seven million square feet of modern, sustainable buildings and thousands of jobs. We collaborated with Panattoni on the planning application for a £400 million, two million square foot logistics and distribution hub for Amazon at Symmetry Park, creating approximately 2,000 jobs, including engineering positions to maintain advanced robotics within the state-of-the-art facility.
During the same period, we secured a £110 million investment for highway improvements, unlocking development land for 8,000 homes east of Swindon. Additionally, we entered into an award-winning joint venture with Barratt/David Wilson to deliver a 4,500 home residential development at Wichelstowe.
Some notable regeneration projects initiated by the Conservative Administration include The Workshed at the Carriageworks with university partnerships, a £25m investment in the Institute of Technology to empower local students, the first electric Premier Inn, Queens Drive social housing, the Heritage Action Zone, the Health Hydro, and extensive upgrades to the two M4 Junctions serving our town.
Additionally, there were significant projects such as Kimmerfields, Fleming Way, and the new Museum & Art Gallery in the Civic Offices. Whilst these initiatives were previously criticised by Labour when in opposition, they are now being celebrated.
In 2022, the Centre for Cities Chief Executive said that Swindon’s strong local economy would help it bounce back after the Pandemic. I am delighted to see the £100m of council-led investment we secured now coming to fruition.
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