Swindon Creative Heartbeat - Creative Re-Use of Empty Buildings
Swindon Creative Heartbeat - Creative Re-Use of Empty Buildings
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The FAB (Fleet and Bridge) Streets strategy in Swindon is presented as a low-cost, high-impact urban regeneration blueprint designed for rapid application in failing town centres. This model addresses underperforming commercial assets by deploying strategic cultural and independent business interventions, designed to deliver immediate, tangible results and accelerate private investment. During 2025, we worked with the Swindon Cultural Collective, the Council, and numerous stakeholders to create this comprehensive, quickly deliverable plan, which focuses on coordinating efforts to turn this high-priority corridor into a vibrant, liveable cultural anchor.
The FAB (Fleet and Bridge) Streets strategy in Swindon is presented as a low-cost, high-impact urban regeneration blueprint designed for rapid application in failing town centres. This model addresses underperforming commercial assets by deploying strategic cultural and independent business interventions, designed to deliver immediate, tangible results and accelerate private investment. During 2025, we worked with the Swindon Cultural Collective, the Council, and numerous stakeholders to create this comprehensive, quickly deliverable plan, which focuses on coordinating efforts to turn this high-priority corridor into a vibrant, liveable cultural anchor.
1. Strategic Rationale: De-Risking Investment and Leveraging Location
1. Strategic Rationale: De-Risking Investment and Leveraging Location
The FAB corridor is a high-priority intervention point, aligning directly with the Heart of Swindon vision. Our core aim was to convert these dormant spaces into a vibrant hub for independent shops, arts, culture, and innovation. The streets possess inherent advantages—they sit adjacent to the new Fleming Way Bus Interchange, busy Regent Street, the heritage quarter, and the train station, making them a crucial gateway. The existing street layout, adjoining alleyways, and connections are uniquely suited for smaller venues and studios, fostering a distinct character around independent businesses. This strategy was designed to de-risk private investment by creating demonstrable footfall and demand, signaling that it is time for the many empty buildings to be reoccupied and for the whole area to come back to life.
The FAB corridor is a high-priority intervention point, aligning directly with the Heart of Swindon vision. Our core aim was to convert these dormant spaces into a vibrant hub for independent shops, arts, culture, and innovation. The streets possess inherent advantages—they sit adjacent to the new Fleming Way Bus Interchange, busy Regent Street, the heritage quarter, and the train station, making them a crucial gateway. The existing street layout, adjoining alleyways, and connections are uniquely suited for smaller venues and studios, fostering a distinct character around independent businesses. This strategy was designed to de-risk private investment by creating demonstrable footfall and demand, signaling that it is time for the many empty buildings to be reoccupied and for the whole area to come back to life.
2. Operational Strategy: Uniting Stakeholders and Activating Vacant Stock
2. Operational Strategy: Uniting Stakeholders and Activating Vacant Stock
The strategy uses a focused, low-cost, high-impact approach, centered on deep partnership and activation. We took a "ground-up" approach, meeting directly with residents and landlords to build trust and effectively "join the dots" between all parties. The first key intervention was the Meanwhile Model to tackle high vacancy through streamlined, collaborative intervention:
The strategy uses a focused, low-cost, high-impact approach, centered on deep partnership and activation. We took a "ground-up" approach, meeting directly with residents and landlords to build trust and effectively "join the dots" between all parties. The first key intervention was the Meanwhile Model to tackle high vacancy through streamlined, collaborative intervention:
- Temporary Uses: Encouraging dynamic, temporary uses for underutilised properties, including pop-up studios and community events.
- De-Risking Mechanism: We utilised Meanwhile government-sponsored temporary use projects, offering simplified, standardized short-term licence agreements. This dramatically reduces legal fees and administrative burden for landlords, turning a costly liability into an asset.
- Long-Term Lease Cultivation: This activation cultivates the market demand needed to secure long-term, high-value tenants, encouraging favourable initial lease terms (like rent-free periods) to entice strong, established businesses back into the area.
3. Public Realm, Culture, and Progressive Night-Time Economy
3. Public Realm, Culture, and Progressive Night-Time Economy
To rapidly change the perception of FAB and encourage footfall, the strategy focused on improving the physical environment and easing operational hurdles for new businesses:
To rapidly change the perception of FAB and encourage footfall, the strategy focused on improving the physical environment and easing operational hurdles for new businesses:
- Public Realm Improvements: Working with the Council's landscape architect, a new plan for enhanced seating, greening (planters, trees), and street furniture was drafted.
- Artistic Interventions: Public art (murals and street art) was planned in two phases, curated by a specialist, to create a cohesive, attractive identity. This also included providing accessible and affordable spaces for artists and makers, replicating successful cultural regeneration models like Creative Folkestone.
- Night-Time and Hospitality: The Council is committed to recreating a thriving hospitality sector. Collaborative Licensing (involving Council Licensing and Police officers from the start) ensures a supportive environment. Furthermore, the Council is exploring free street tables and chairs licences for new businesses for two years as a direct incentive.
4. Sustainable Policy: Homes, Safety, and Economic Anchors
4. Sustainable Policy: Homes, Safety, and Economic Anchors
The final pillar of the plan focused on sustainable growth, ensuring the area remained active outside of working hours:
The final pillar of the plan focused on sustainable growth, ensuring the area remained active outside of working hours:
- Lighting and Safety: A new lighting scheme (festoon and tree canopy lighting) was designed to enhance amenity and the sense of safety at night.
- Twilight Market: The exploration of an area-wide premises licence for a ‘Twilight Market’ (4 pm to 9 pm) is intended to bridge the gap between daytime shopping and night-time hospitality. This flexible, low-cost trading opportunity for small independents is a key economic anchor, with a launch planned for Q3 2026.
- Residential Density: The planning department committed to adopting a positive planning culture to enable more residential homes to be built (at least above ground-floor retail). This vital policy shift ensures people are living on the streets to sustain local businesses, completing the lifecycle of the regeneration.
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