Swindon Honda: Plans for car manufacturer's site waved through

The airfield around the former Honda factory is set to become one of the largest commercial sites in southern England

Plans to redevelop the land around Swindon's former Honda factory have been approved almost unanimously by councillors.

The car plant closed in 2021 having made 3.7 million cars during its 36 years in the town.

The site was bought in early 2022 by developer Panattoni, which specialises in high-end distribution centres.

Swindon Borough Council's planning committee was almost all in favour of the development.

Twelve of its members voted in favour of the plans on Tuesday evening, while just one abstained and no one voted against the proposals.

It is thought to be the biggest planning application Swindon Borough Council has ever dealt with.

Developer Panatonni said the plans would create 7,000 local jobs

James Watson, development director for Panattoni, told the meeting: "We pride ourselves on being enterprising by selecting employment sites in need of regeneration in prosperous areas."

He said the site would receive £700m in investment over the next five years, and was forecast to generate £295m for the local economy each year.

Mr Watson described the development as "hugely significant not only for Swindon's economy but the wider region".

He added that three years of work had gone into the proposals, and that Panattoni had amended its designs following input from local residents.

The adjustments included making changes in heights and orientation of some buildings and improving security fences, he said.

Honda ceased production in 2021 after 36 years in Swindon

The Conservative councillor for South Marston, the village which directly borders the Honda site, Russell Holland, said he was "super happy" with the outcome.

Mr Holland, who is not a member of the planning committee, told BBC West: "If you think how upset we all were when Honda was closing, now we know there's going to be more jobs on that site than there were under Honda".

He added: "Other towns and cities across the country I think will be looking with envy on Swindon to have this level of investment particularly at a challenging economic time."

Labour councillor Jane Milner-Barry abstained from the vote after raising concerns about the environmental impact.

But she said she had decided not to vote against the plan as she recognised it was broadly good for Swindon's economy.

The new owners of the Honda site also built Swindon's vast Amazon fulfilment centre, which opened in 2021

The site is set to become one of the largest commercial sites anywhere in southern England, adding around 0.25 sq miles (670,000 sq m) of employment space to the Swindon economy.

Panattoni will now be able to build up to 12 different units and is hoping to attract a mix of different types of businesses requiring a range of skills.

It is hoped it will provide around 7,000 local jobs over the next decade, by comparison when Honda announced its closure in 2019, it employed around 2,500.

Panattoni was responsible for building Swindon's large Amazon fulfilment centre at nearby Symmetry Park in 2021, as well as many other similar developments across Europe.

It plans to demolish Honda's factory and start the first phase of its building work from scratch.