View from the riverbank: Is Swindon ready to seize the moment?

Amid uncertainty around major schemes in the region, one town has seen two major developments progress in the current troubled times.

Guests at the Spotlight on Swindon webinar last week heard about the modern 100,000 sq ft home of Zurich being built next to the insurance giant’s current home, part of the wider Kimmerfields regeneration area. Along with sustainability aims at its highly contemporary new home, Zurich is considering using facial recognition technology for staff instead of swipe cards or passes.

Our webinar took place shortly after we reported Panattoni’s giant 2.3 million sq ft warehouse at the town’s Symmetry Park – pre-let to Amazon – was sold to Legal & General Investment Managers for £200 million.

The webinar also heard about a Government grant of £20 million towards a new Institute of Technology, £1m grant to boost Kimmerfields and £4m towards a tech skills hub at the former carriage works.

And Swindon awaits news of its bid for £25m towards a new bus boulevard.

While retailers in the town centre struggle in a similar way to those in many other towns, there is a popular outlet village just outside the centre, built into part of the former railway works.

Thanks to Great Western Mainline electrification, Swindon is now commutable to London, and thanks to Crossrail, reaching the centre of the capital may be easier than ever.

While there was much national news about the departure of Honda, our experts on the ground prove there is much to be positive about in Swindon.

Sign up to receive your free weekly Thames Tap newsletter here.