Wheels in motion for Groundwell Park and Ride site

The site, located off Cricklade Road, is allocated as suitable for redevelopment in the Swindon Borough Local Plan and, now the development brief has been approved by councillors, residents can get a clearer picture of what might happen to it in future.

A draft development brief for the site was published back in May and has been subject to consultation, which is now complete.

Given the site’s location between residential and industrial areas, it has been assessed as having the potential to be redeveloped for either residential or commercial uses.

The development brief gives the following potential new uses for the site:

• Option 1: A residential space consisting of around 85 to 90 houses
• Option 2: Residential development and a care home
• Option 3: Commercial development, encompassing a proposed food store, self-storage, gym, trade counter, coffee drive thru and day nursery
• Option 4: An extension to the Groundwell Industrial Estate to the north

The development brief also identifies the option of the site reverting back to being a park and ride.

The brief has been informed by a Transport Feasibility Study which indicates that none of the development options would have a significant adverse impact on the local road network.

The site was last used as a park and ride in 2009 and was mothballed due to low levels of use.

Now the brief has been adopted by the Planning Committee, it will form a material consideration against which planning applications for the development of the Site will be assessed.

Councillor Gary Sumner, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Infrastructure, Transport and Planning, said: “I am delighted to see the Planning Committee approve the Development Brief for the former Groundwell Park and Ride site as we now have a much clearer picture of how it can be redeveloped.

“There is still a lot of work to do before we start to see anything happen on site but we are now in a better position to move forward, and I would like to thank members of the Planning Committee, and officers who have been involved in putting the brief together, for getting us to where we are.”

Councillor Russell Holland, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Commercialisation, Education and Skills, said: "The Council has been focused on taking a commercial approach to the use of its assets in order to help generate funding for Council services. This is a positive step forward."