New mixed-use district centre for Wichelstowe gets green light

A focal point for the growing Wichelstowe community, the district centre is designed by multidisciplinary design practice BDP and will span each side of the Wiltshire & Berkshire Canal. A public square provides an ideal space for markets, events and other leisure activities to bring people together.

Canalside East and Canalside West – as the two sides of the development are known – has been designed to bring life to the area both during the day and in the evenings, as well as all year round, with the space accommodating a range of flexible uses to ensure longevity.  

The plans, submitted by Swindon Borough Council, in two separate applications, will support the expanding Wichelstowe neighbourhood, which will include 4,000 homes once complete, and is one of the largest local authority joint venture agreements in the country.

Canalside West includes a heath centre and community centre – which are linked so services and activities can be shared – alongside a pharmacy and workspace, located above the community centre. Four retail units designed to house restaurants, shops and cafes benefit from a covered walkway in front that wraps around the building with 12 one and two-bedroom apartments above.

Canalside East will include a gym with roofstop sports facilities plus space for a café, all of which will be connected to the existing tow path. It will also house 14 one and two-bedroom apartments. All apartments across both parts of the development are dual aspect to bring in warmth and light.

As well as designing the scheme, BDP drew up the masterplan for the district centre as well as providing the landscape architecture and mechanical & electrical services.

There is great emphasis within the district centre on creating attractive landscaping with plenty of greenery within the communal spaces to support biodiversity and connect people with nature. The health centre will have a biodiverse solar roof, whilst other roofs will support solar panels.

Nick Ellis, associate architect at BDP, said: “New neighbourhoods are vital in providing the much-needed housing that the country so desperately needs; however, it is also crucial to create a vibrant centre to help knit the community together and of course make them enjoyable places to live. The mixture of uses is key in ensuring the area caters to everyone’s needs and that the space is used and enjoyed at different times of the day and year. We have put great thought into the design of the district centre to promote social cohesion with lots of outdoor and indoor communal space whilst making the most of the canal and including plenty of greenery.”

The development’s location adjacent to the canal footbridge connects to existing tow paths for walking, jogging, cycling, and other recreational activities along the canal waterfront.

The thousands of new homes at Wichelstowe will be built by the UK’s largest housebuilder Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, in partnership with Swindon Borough Council.