House of Lords investment event hailed a huge success

And Swindon Borough Council Leader, Councillor Jim Robbins, says he hopes the confidence that major investors have already shown in the town, will spur on many more to join Swindon’s upward trajectory.

Cllr Robbins was speaking after the Council organised a special investment summit at the House of Lords on Monday (17 March) which sought to promote Swindon’s buoyant economy and investment potential to investors, businesses and the Government.

Attendees were also given a presentation on the ambitions to reinvent Swindon town centre as outlined in the Council's updated ‘Heart of Swindon’ vision.

Hosted by The Rt Hon. the Lord Wills, former MP for Swindon North, guest speakers also included representatives from Panattoni, FI Real Estate Management and Business West as well as MP for Swindon North, Will Stone, and Swindon South MP, Heidi Alexander, who all spoke passionately about what Swindon has to offer.

Earlier in the day, Cllr Robbins, a number of his Cabinet colleagues and senior council officers visited Number 10 Downing Street to share the ‘Heart of Swindon’ vision with the Government.

Developed last year with the support of Allies and Morrison, a London-based architecture and planning practice, the vision has been updated following consultation with residents last year. It was developed working with town centre landowners, developers, educational institutions, government agencies and businesses.

The Council is now courting investors with 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 Council and public sector partners are already investing more than £100m in projects to improve infrastructure and unlock development.

Speaking after the event, Councillor Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “What a fantastic event. It was great to see so many people keen to find out what Swindon has to offer and I’d like to say a big thanks to Lord Wills and our two MPs for their support in bringing the event together.

“There was an energy in the room, with a range of people talking positively about Swindon and how now is the perfect time to invest in the future of the Borough.

“The most pleasing thing was that this was not a Dragon’s Den pitch with the Council doing all the talking. We had representatives from Panattoni explaining why they are ploughing £918m of their own money into transforming the former Honda site and Business West and FI Real Estate Management describing Swindon’s enormous potential.

“I was delighted to also share our vision with the Government in Downing Street and ensure we are very firmly in their thoughts when future investment opportunities arise.

“Our job now is to take forward the positive conversations from the event so we begin to turn our vision, which has been shaped by local residents and businesses, into a reality.”

Lord Wills, said: “I am delighted that the event was such a success.

“There was a real buzz about the evening as Jim, Will and Heidi all gave inspiring speeches about the future of the town. This vision has long been needed and we all hope this can be the start of a new Golden Age for Swindon.”

James Watson, Panattoni’s Head of Development, Southern England & London, who explained at the event why his company had chosen to invest in Swindon, said: “Swindon is one of the jewels for investment in the UK, having one of the best-performing economies in the country.

“The culmination of its location, workforce, and the ambition of its Council to elevate it to become the UK's most innovative, productive, and fastest-growing town, make it a prime spot to build the UK's largest brownfield site.

“We strongly believe in this vision, which is why we are investing £918m to build over 7 million sq ft of best-in-class logistics, industrial and data centres. With strong occupier interest and the estimated creation of around 15,000 jobs, we look forward to growing Swindon to become one of the largest employment hubs in the nation.”