Swindon’s iconic Locarno ballroom is set to be given a new lease of life, after contracts were signed on a £35m regeneration project.
The Grade II Listed buildings, which will become known as The Exchange, are set to be transformed into apartments, restaurants, shops and bars. A hotel could also be included in the plans, which will be showcased at a public exhibition next year.
Swindon Corn Exchange Ltd, the company set up to lead the regeneration, has taken ownership of the buildings and entered a partnership agreement with Forward Swindon. The project will take three years to complete and will incorporate wider regeneration of the area surrounding the listed buildings.
Project Director Steve Rosier, said: “The restoration of the Old Town Hall and Corn Exchange is a project which has spent years in the early planning stages. We are thrilled to finally be in a position to move forward.
“Our vision is to restore the Corn Exchange as the heartbeat of Old Town - a place for people to live and work, relax and enjoy and a place to appreciate and inspire a more vibrant and sustainable Old Town.
“There will be echoes of Covent Garden, with the Corn Exchange hall, formerly the Locarno ballroom, under a glass roof. It will be surrounded by restaurants, cafes, bars, bistros and niche shops.
“People in Swindon are so incredibly passionate about protecting these historic buildings. We are looking to harness this passion, taking inspiration from the past to reawaken one of Swindon’s lost treasures.”
The plans will reinstate the Market Square as public space with a new piazza replacing the existing car park. The covered hall and new piazza will provide outdoor and undercover dining areas, while music, street entertainment and a street market will be encouraged. High Street and Wood Street will be transformed with paved surfaces, trees and lighting all designed to emphasise the pedestrian areas.
Mr Rosier said: “This part of Old Town has been the beating heart of Swindon for around 750 years and in three years it is our vision and hope that the community will congregate there once again.”
Mr Rosier is working with award-winning architects FCB Studios to bring the plans forward. A public exhibition of the plans will be held in spring 2017 before a full planning application is submitted. It is hoped planning consent will be granted during the summer. This would enable work to start before the end of 2017 and The Exchange would open its doors in early 2020.
Swindon Corn Exchange was built originally as a town hall in 1852 around the site of the traditional market. It was extended to incorporate the Corn Exchange and its iconic tower in 1865.
Over the years, the buildings have been used as a cinema, dancing hall and a roller skating rink. To many, it is still affectionately known as the Locarno where acts including Cilla Black, The Who, The Small Faces, The Yardbirds and The Searchers performed in the 1950s and 1960s.
For more information or to register updates see theexchaneswindon.co.uk or facebook.com/exchangeswindon
Your Comments
The restoration of the Corn Exchange is essential to maintain the character of Old Town. Having lived on the Lawns between 1955 and 1972, I was shocked recently to see the state of some of Old Town, Lakeside and its buildings. It's good to read about the renovation plans.
Posted: 10 February 2017, 10.26PM by: Angela Smith
Login or Register to post a comment on this article