Former Swindon Honda site development plans signed off

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

A £700m redevelopment of a former Honda car manufacturing site has been signed off.

Swindon Borough Council approved the plans by industrial developer Panattoni to redevelop the site in South Marston.

The company has permission to knock down the factory and instead put up 11 new buildings, which can be used for manufacturing or warehouses.

The company had to come up with a plan to deal with contamination of the ground and any water on the site.

A test report and plan submitted said there was "little contamination overall".

However, the asphalt laid on the site when it was an airfield was a source of elevated levels of contaminants, as it contains coal tar.

Any asphalt that will be re-used it must be tested and landscaped areas will be covered in a minimum of half a metre of clean sub and topsoil.

'Habitats will be lost'

There had also been concerns about bats potentially roosting in the buildings.

The developer said: "All [buildings] continue to have negligible potential to support roosting bats.

"In addition, no further trees with bat roosting potential were identified."

All buildings and structures, except for the sub-stations and service areas, will be demolished, according to the plans.

"Most of the perimeter woodland and the lagoon with associated marshy grassland habitats in the east will be retained. All other habitats will be lost," the plans say.

Planners have signed off on the applications, but said: "If demolition works have not commenced by April 2024, it will be essential to update the bat survey effort to establish if suitable features have developed and if bats have colonised the buildings in the interim."

Work is expected to start in February.