More cash for railway site to host creative start-ups

The 1876-built building now hosts offices used by creative and start-up businesses

A council have put money aside to fund the next phase of the Great Western Railway Carriage Works conversion.

Swindon Borough Council have set aside between £2m and £3m to create a modern setting for a hi-tech business or organisation.

The carriage works were empty for years but recently it has become a hub for creative industries and universities.

The council's application for the refurbishment has not yet been approved but a bid has been submitted to secure a contract, the Local Democracy Service reports.

The proposals are to convert four units at the furthest western and northern corner of the building to “flexible use for higher education facilities, offices or research and development.”

The building now hosts The Work Shed, offices used by creative and digital start-up and expanding businesses and it is also the home to the Royal Agricultural University's new Cultural Heritage Institute.

The Carriage Works in Swindon is Grade II listed

A report commissioned by the council on the use of the Carriage Works said a feature of the new scheme is that the two largest occupiers are from the "knowledge economy".

They added: "The bulk of demand has come from smaller companies looking to occupy aspirational space that supports their business growth.

"This demand appears to be sustainable as there is currently a waiting list of smaller occupiers looking to take space in the scheme.”

The work will see four units in the Station Industrial Estate and two and a half units in the buildings running along London Street refurbished.

It is expected to take between 10 and 15 months with a further planning application needed for the completion of the whole project.