Swindon House of Lords showcase boosted investor interest

Councillors have heard that investor interest in Swindon has been boosted by a recent House of Lords event to showcase the town.

Swindon Borough Council organised a special investment summit in Westminster last month which sought to promote Swindon’s buoyant economy and potential to 170 guests including investors, businesses and the Government.

Members of the Build a Better Swindon Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee were told that several meetings and conversations have already taken place with prospective investors and developers since the event, who are keen to find out more about the Council’s ‘Heart of Swindon’ vision.

More than 50 national regeneration and residential investors joined senior figures in key Government agencies, including Homes England, The Department for Transport, The Department for Business & Trade, Network Rail and the Government Property Agency, to hear why now was an ideal time to put their money into Swindon.

Swindon-based and national arts and cultural institutions, including a number of prospective operators for the proposed new Swindon entertainment venue, were also present at the event in London, which was hosted by Lord Michael Wills, as well as Higher and Further Education institutions already based in Swindon and those located in neighbouring cities.

To build on the momentum, an investment prospectus is currently being drawn up which will promote the opportunity to be part of delivering up to 8,000 new homes and amenities to support a Swindon population growing much faster than the national average.

The prospectus will also outline the investment opportunities available, ranging from shovel-ready projects in Swindon to longer-term strategic sites that can come forward in a phased manner over the next five to 10 years.

Cllr Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “The positivity generated from the House of Lords event was great to see and I have been really encouraged by the feedback and conversations we have been having over the last few weeks.

“I don’t need any encouragement to talk up our great town, but it was really pleasing that partners from the private sector were only too happy to explain why Swindon is the place to invest their money.

“The word is definitely out that Swindon is a pro-growth, can-do town that has untapped potential and we need to build on that by working with investors and developers to deliver exciting projects for the town centre and beyond.”