Swindon Mechanics' Institute could be revived in £24.5m plan

A masterplan for the building will be discussed at a cabinet meeting next week

A derelict Grade II* listed building could be turned into a multi-purpose venue at a cost of £24.5m.

The crumbling Mechanics' Institute in Swindon, owned by Forefront Estates, has stood empty since the mid-1980s.

Swindon Borough Council said it is still owed money for emergency repairs it carried out on the building and has not ruled out issuing a compulsory purchase order.

A masterplan will be discussed at a cabinet meeting next week.

Following a public meeting in 2019, a specialist consultant recommended the building's "impressive architecture and celebrated spaces" be transformed into an events venue for concerts, proms and theatre as well as weddings and conferences.

It said the new venue could be making a small annual profit within three years, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'National prominence'

Ahead of a Swindon Borough Council cabinet meeting next week, council leader David Renard said a masterplan should be drawn up, to "ensure" the building's future.

"The aim is to lay the groundwork for Swindon's Railway Conservation Area to become a heritage destination of national prominence," he said.

"The masterplan would provide a framework for securing the substantial level of funding required to restore the building."

The institute opened in 1854 as an educational centre for railway workers but closed in 1986 before being bought by Forefront in 2003.

In 2010 the council seized control of the property in order to carry out urgent works.

Owners of listed buildings have a legal duty to ensure they do not deteriorate.