Whats happening at Swindon station?

[daccer]

Drove past Swindon yesterday and I noticed that the stark old building that sits above the station is all boarded up and obviously deserted. Are the plans to take it down and give Swindon a station that befits its place in UK railway history?

 

[Ash Bridge]

Drove past Swindon yesterday and I noticed that the stark old building that sits above the station is all boarded up and obviously deserted. Are the plans to take it down and give Swindon a station that befits its place in UK railway history?

I think that building is part of the original Brunel station and is surely historically listed so unlikely that it will be removed, personally speaking I find it rather attractive.

Edit: oops, just realised that the OP was probably referring to the 1970s block which contains the entrance and not the one located on the platforms

 

[pdeaves]

I believe the current plan is for Signal Point (the building in question) to be converted into flats. The Swindon Advertiser says

Despite many seeing the early seventies structure as a prime example of the ugly architecture of that era, there are currently no plans to knock it down.

Of course, plans can change!

 

[mr_moo]

Assuming we are indeed discussing Signal Point, the office block in front of the station, it's been in and out of use for ages, with various plans that mostly have come to nothing.

Back in 2012 there was a "Swindon Masterplan" that included the re-cladding of it, but that website has now gone offline and the plans, well, who knows. Here's a ref to it at least: http://www.jonratcliffeblog.com/2012/09/swindons-regeneration-plan-weve-been.html

There was a thread on here about it back in 2012: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=70136

Here's another link ref the proposal to become flats: http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/13317678.Signal_Point_tower_could_become_flats/

I remember reading an exploration account from an 'urban explorer' group a few years back. I think it was 28dayslater but I'm not sure and can't find the web page now - it may have been taken down or my memory may have been playing tricks on me! At that stage, IRC, it was in a very sorry state and even had some parts of internal floors collapsed and windows and doors rotten and falling out in many places.

There's a "Swindon 2020" masterplan that promotes an 'arc of opportunity' area of development up to the station. This highlights that signal point is in a sorry state and that it's hardly welcoming, but curiously has no proposals for it. Assuming it's owned by Network Rail, perhaps the plan is hoping to prod NR into action?
http://www.forwardswindon.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Swindon-TCDP-ES-FINAL.pdf

Despite the proposal to turn it into flats, it appears to be available to buy or to rent. Anyone got £507,741?
https://propertylink.estatesgazette.com/property-details/5567461-signal-point-swindon-sn1-1fe