SWINDON

SETTING THE SCENE

Peter Garitsis
Senior Urban Designer

Thomas Sale
Urban Design Planner
CONTENTS

A.Background
B.Site context
C.Challenges/opportunities
A
BACKGROUND
SWINDON’S TYPICAL APPROACH TO GROWTH

‘Rural’ parishes:
11,781 dwellings
‘Urban’ parishes:
80%
2,881 dwellings

20%

Current potential pipeline: Extant residential

permissions (detailed and outline at 1-Apr-22) by
urban / rural parish split.
NEW FOCUS ON URBAN AREA?
Established areas (like Swindon town centre) end
up struggling due to lack of planned and targeted
growth.

Instead, we could better use planned growth as

an opportunity to help overcome and alleviate
identified issues in established areas by:

• Improving the street scene, architecture

and investment in public realm;

• Increasing population and critical mass of

people in an area to support local services
and the economy;

• Fixing functional issues (e.g. poor access

and permeability, issues due to land use
concentrations).
NEW CHALLENGES FOR SWINDON?
Spatial strategy Plan period and vision Housing

Rebalanced growth with a focus Much longer range – plan to 2042 Urban housing delivery, new
on regeneration, estate renewal? plus vision to 2050/55 markets and viability

Transport Places for people Rethinking the nature of work

Reversed hierarchy of movement Active, social, safe and inviting Work / home locations, circular
with active travel at the top environments which promote economies, defining economies,
health and wellbeing investment zones etc

Rethinking retail Environment Design

Fundamental reset of retail and To be at centre of the plan – all Beyond designing beautifully?
leisure needs and future new plans zero carbon focused?
requirements
PRIORITIES OF THE NEW ADMINISTRATION

1 2 3
Reduce inequality Build a better Swindon Achieve net-zero

Make Swindon a fairer place,
reduce disadvantage and
eliminate big disparities in life
expectancy, education levels and
social justice.
Create a town ready for the
challenges of the coming
decades. Where possible, lead
town centre improvement and
create more affordable housing in
partnership with the private
sector.
Fully play our part as a Council
and a town in combatting climate
change. Work with communities
to find new ways of doing things
that help, not hinder, the natural
environment.
HEALTH AND INDUSTRY
Designed by Robert Noel in 1997.

It incorporates elements from the previous

coats of arms for the boroughs of Swindon,
Thamesdown and Highworth.

The motto ‘Salubritas et Industria’ translates

to ‘Health and Industry’.
B
SITE CONTEXT
BOROUGH
WARD
STREET
STREET SCENE
EASTCOTT DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT
C
CHALLENGES / OPPORTUNITIES
“THE DESIGN OF THE BUILT AND
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IS
ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL FOR
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH”
Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England.
Health and Social Care Committee. Feb 2023
COMPLEX CHALLENGES WITH CO-BENEFIT
OPPORTUNITIES
GLOBAL/LOCAL LENS

The complex systems of determinants and impacts of health

and climate change are interconnected, and climate change is
adversely harming human health, through both direct and
indirect impacts.
Source: The Health Foundation
CHALLENGES OPPORTUNITIES
LOCAL LENS LOCAL LENS

• Predominant 3 storey building heights; • Retain human scale through careful

interventions;
• Nature of rear alleyways – feel unsafe
and low quality environments; • Rear accessways to both sides of Commercial Rd
– opportunity for service routes and to create
• Lacks greenness (green space, trees,
interest/activity along these routes – secondary
amenity etc);
frontages;
• One-way gyratory system, pavement
• Zone 1 Parking = no parking needed in policy
car parking issue and highway-
terms, though potentially consider deliveries, e-
dominated environment with a lack of
mobility, cycle parking and disabled parking.
cycle infrastructure;
• No fixed architectural identity/character along
• Orientation and need for interface with
Commercial Road;
primary street – Commercial Road
(applies to south-side buildings with • Continuation of vertically staked mixed-use;
north facing frontage).
• Cultural diversity: local demographics and
commercial businesses.
FRAMEWORKS BEING EXPLORED
Place Quality Framework by Natasha Reid Currently Brent Council
adopted this framework method within the new Residential Amenity
Space and Place Quality SPD.

What
The Place Quality framework and method purposefully reframes how
developments are expected to be designed and assessed for planning
permission: To put how places impact people front and centre of the
process.

It is a new values-based approach, design tool and system that prioritises

people-focused, socially-conscious outcomes and the human experience
of places - to support what matters to people’s everyday lives.

Why
The Place Quality approach aims to make healthy, happy, liveable, vibrant
and inclusive places an everyday reality that is accessible to the many
rather than the few.

How
Going beyond quantitative factors such as measurements of size, number
or how a place looks to instead focusing on outcomes that enrich people’s
quality of life (qualitative factors).
TOOL EXAMPLE

Is this a place that builds community? Is this a place for different types of user needs?

Are there factors that support building long term relationships How does the design consider the needs of specific
between residents? E.g. places for shared activities? Is there a groups?
central space that acts at the “heart” of the development?
Who are the groups and what are their needs?

Design for social integration and connectivity? Neurodiversity: How is the design responsive to a range of
sensory and neurological needs?
How is neighbourhood connectivity and permeability
maximised? Is this an attractive, restorative, natural place?

How are the benefits of green and tranquil spaces being

maximised?

Can local people be involved in the design or maintenance

of the space?
THANK YOU