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Barbrook Road, SWINDON, SN1 7BH

The Wichelstowe development was quite a long time in the planning, partly because there was considerable opposition to it. The 'Front Garden' was a large area of open land between the southern extent of Swindon and the M4. It is now proceeding at quite a rate. There is much information in the developers' website http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1

The large development project had been in the pipeline for several years. Despite the efforts of a vocal and well-organised protest group who sought to prevent the project from going ahead, the necessary permissions were granted and groundwork started in 2007. Progress hasn't been rapid which isn't surprising given the economic circumstances of the late noughties. You can read about the project on the developers' http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1

These houses are facing west. The controversial development was always going to go ahead, the activities of a vocal protest group notwithstanding. There is much information on the Wichelstowe website http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1

Building sites are generally functional rather than aesthetically pleasing. Read more about the large Wichelstowe development here http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1

The Wichelstowe development is essentially a consortium between several large building companies including Barratts, Bloor Homes, George Wimpey and Sovereign Housing. This part of the site is being developed by Barratts. More on the developers' website http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1

The Wichelstowe development is on what was informally known as Swindon's 'Front Garden', a large area of land between southern Swindon and the M4 between junctions 15 and 16. The design mix demonstrates the latest trends in domestic architecture with features such as different building materials and varying roof-lines. Some houses are already occupied but I am not sure how fast sales are taking place. Much information about the development is on the developers' website http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1

The development of what is known locally as the Front Garden is proceeding at a steady pace. Ground was first broken in 2007. To quote from the latest newsletter 'approaching 150 homes are now occupied with the pace of families moving in set to grow steadily through 2010'. What isn't clear is how many of those homes are sales and how many social housing. More about the development can be found here http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1 There is a nice example of a 2002 Ford Mondeo in the centre of the image.

A new section of canal, part of the scheme to route the restored canal away from its original route, abandoned in 1914, through Swindon's town centre.

There are quite a few three-storey terraces on this development, presumably mostly flats. The builders have used a varied mix of materials and styles intended to make the street scene more interesting. The development of Wichelstowe will take several years to complete. More on the developers' website http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1

These are probably flats. Unusually for Swindon, the building in the middle appears to have four storeys. Doubtless internal fire protection measures will have been a primary concern when designing the properties. The design of that building harks back to what are known as London 'byelaw' houses where the party walls extend above the roof-line to reduce the risk of a fire in one roof space travelling into the next. The authorities in London have been a bit sensitive about fires since 1666. Read about the development as a whole on the developers' website http://www.wichelstowe.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=1