Redford Developments Acquires Former Nationwide HQ in Swindon

 Redford Developments Ltd has acquired the former Nationwide headquarters building on Pipers Way in central south Swindon. The 3.8ha (9.4-acre) vacant site benefits from a draft allocation in the emerging Local Plan for up to 228 new homes.

Building details

The 200,000 sq ft Wakefield House building, multi-storey car park and extensive grounds, sits within the Pipers Way regeneration area, located only a mile from Swindon’s upmarket Old Town district. The site is at the heart of a strategic regeneration and residential-led zone, which has policy support within the emerging Swindon Local Plan 2023-2043.

The office complex is approximately 1.9 miles from Swindon Railway Station and 2.2 miles from Junction 15 of the M4.

Nationwide Building Society vacated Wakefield House in 2021. The organisation is currently the world’s largest building society and a major provider of savings and mortgages in the UK. Nationwide is Swindon’s biggest employer and has around 13,000 office-based staff, many of whom are based at its headquarters, located in a modern office complex on Pipers Way, a few minutes’ walk from Wakefield House.

The acquisition is Warwickshire-based Redford Developments’ largest to date.

Redford Developments has appointed Corstorphine & Wright architects to deliver masterplanning and initial indicative designs. Public consultation on the development proposals is expected to take place before the summer, prior to a planning application being submitted.

This project is one of 10 brownfield sites being promoted, progressed, or developed by Redford Developments. The firm is backed by significant private investment, enabling sites to be purchased unconditionally or subject to planning. The company is also in the market to acquire commercial assets that are non-income producing, requiring refurbishment, or redevelopment.

Comments

Richard Mees, chief executive of Redford Developments, said: “We have acquired Wakefield House to see it redeveloped as an exemplary new community that prioritises placemaking and sustainability.

“Many of the future residents could work in easy walking distance, as thousands of Nationwide’s skilled workforce are based just up the road. The Ridgeway Hospital, School and Sixth Form Centre are also very close by.

“The scale, setting and residential capacity of this 9.4-acre site will help to meet Swindon’s housing needs. Redeveloping it will transform the street scene, drive investment and attract the best young people to further their careers here.

“The Borough is already generating more than £10bn in Gross Value Added and ranking among the most productive places in the UK for output per hour worked. Combined with a growing working-age population, established global employers and a strategic location on the M4 corridor – with direct links to London and Bristol – Swindon is well positioned to out-perform other large towns and is on the road to gaining city status.”