Funding bid submitted to give underpasses a bright future

Swindon’s Towns Fund Board has submitted a business case for £3m in funding to deliver improvements to the Sheppard Street underpass and Bristol Street tunnel to encourage more people to walk and cycle into the town centre.

The improvements form part of the HAZ (Heritage Action Zone) Streets and Spaces project, which has been developed to increase connectivity between Swindon Designer Outlet and North Star through to the Railway Village and HAZ with the aim of driving footfall and investment in the area.

Streets and Spaces is one of several projects identified by the Board for a share of the £19.5m allocated to Swindon from the Government’s Towns Fund.

Under the proposals, the funding would be spent on improving the public realm in the area around the underpasses by introducing landscaping and improving the footways in the surrounding streets to help encourage pedestrian and cycle movements.

The underpasses would also be enhanced to make them brighter and more welcoming using new lighting and artwork in order to create a positive environment that allows users to feel safe whether they are travelling to Swindon Designer Outlet or the North Star campus of New College Swindon and the Institute of Technology.

The Sheppard Street underpass has space for planting and seating using natural materials to further soften the environment, while artwork will help to celebrate the history of the area and help enhance the HAZ. This area would feature infrastructure to accommodate future potential ‘pop up’ facilities, such as coffee kiosks and seating in a newly landscaped space next to the Sheppard Street underpass.

It is estimated that the improvements could increase pedestrian and cycle use by 15 per cent improving local air quality and encouraging people to lead healthier lifestyles. Recent studies have also shown that public realm improvements, which encourage walking and cycling, have delivered economic benefits to the High Street or town centre.

Living Streets has suggested that where streets are regenerated to boost walking and cycling movements, the corresponding impact on retail turnover, property values and rental yields was capable of being boosted by up to 30 per cent.

Richard Newland, chairman of Swindon’s Towns Fund Board, said: “This is an exciting project and has the potential to have a really positive impact on the town centre and Heritage Action Zone.

“We know the underpasses do not present a welcoming environment for people, but we want to change that by investing in the public realm so more people choose to travel into the town centre by bike or on foot.

“Evidence from elsewhere shows this can provide a real boost to the local economy. Exciting changes are underway in the town centre and we want more people to leave the car at home and use these sustainable travel routes so they see for themselves the fantastic projects that are taking shape.”

Councillor Robert Jandy, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage, Leisure and Town Centre Experience, said: “Sheppard Street underpass has become notorious in recent years as a crime hotspot, and we need to change that perception.

“This investment would transform the areas around Sheppard Street and Bristol Street, make people feel safer and help us increase footfall between Swindon Designer Outlet and North Star. This will help local businesses, the wider town centre and the HAZ, which will become a real jewel in Swindon’s crown in the years ahead.”

The Council is leading on the investment of over £100m in town centre projects over the next four years, the majority of which has been secured though successful funding bids to central government.

For more information on projects and investment that is taking place in Swindon town centre over the next four years, visit: www.swindon.gov.uk/towncentreregeneration