Plans have been submitted to convert the Grade II*-listed former Renault Distribution Centre in Swindon to prepare it for a new occupier.
Knight Frank has applied to Swindon Borough Council, on behalf of landlord AEW UK, to strip out the remnants of more recent uses of the Foster Associates-designed development, now known as the Spectrum Building.
The 1982-built, 24,000 sq m scheme in Mead Way was converted to new uses in 2010 including a soft play area called KidzAbout with adventure golf course and a warehouse for Cooper Tyres.
The design, which has been termed ‘new age modernism’ includes what Historic England describes in its listing entry as an innovative ‘floating’ PVC membrane roof, although it’s currently under extensive repair due to leaks.
The application’s planning and heritage statement says: “The applicant’s overarching objective is to secure the occupation of The Spectrum Building through the imminent open-marketing of the site to prospective commercial occupiers.
“To enhance the prospects of achieving this objective they wish to reverse building works specifically relating to the previous children’s soft-play facility, alongside a number of other measures to increase the attractiveness of the site to the widest possible range of potential commercial tenants.
“The applicant, AEW UK, is one of the UK’s largest asset management firms specialising in the commercial, industrial and retail sectors. It is their full intent to secure the most viable use of The Spectrum Building and to ensure its long-term viability as a functioning economic asset.”
Image: Realaewuk, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
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