Will the new Fleming Way make all the difference? We'll soon find out.
Next month will see the opening of what is arguably the most ambitious town centre infrastructure project in half a century
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The moment of truth for Fleming Way - and every ambition its regeneration represents - is approaching
By Barrie Hudson
One hardly needs a crystal ball to predict which issue will probably dominate Swindon community and local media Facebook pages a month or so hence.
By that time what is surely the most significant infrastructure project in the town centre in half a century or so will be fully available for inspection by the public.
The Fleming Way improvements, variously described over the years as the Bus Boulevard and a gateway, were first mooted, if we recall correctly, about eight years ago, and work began in earnest in 2022 once funding was secured. This has come iin the form of money from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund (£25m), the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s Local Growth Fund (£3m) and Swindon Borough Council (£5m), making a combined £33m investment in the Fleming Way local transport hub which will deliver a brand-new bus interchange to replace the current aging bus station, new cycle lanes and vastly improved public realm.
The project has spanned two Swindon Borough Council administrations and four Governments, not to mention - if one includes the planning stage - the Covid pandemic and its impact on commerce, employment and the way we live and think.
If the work took longer than expected, that is hardly surprising, as certain utility companies demonstrated on more than one occasion their questionable abilities to reveal where pipes and conduits lay.
In its simplest terms, the refurbishment has three main aims:
Building a new bus interchange to accommodate all bus services in the town centre, and replacing the ageing current 1960s bus station
Creating vastly improved public open spaces including over 100 mixed hedgerow bee-friendly plants, plus hundreds more shrubs along the central reservation that will also form part of the scheme’s drainage system
Introducing new cycle lane facilities that connect the town’s Western and Eastern Cycle Flyers
The most recent Swindon Borough Council announcement regarding Fleming Way was that the final stages of the work were ongoing, with the scheme's contractor, Colas, undertaking snagging works to make sure the site was ready for opening.
Fencing around the site is set to begin to come down from Friday, 15 August, with bus companies starting to run services from Fleming Way from Sunday, 31 August.
As just about anybody with a grasp of how town and city centres has changed - thanks to the rise of everything from online shopping to working from home - knows, there is far more at stake here than merely brightening the place up.
The changes at Fleming Way are key to the success of an undertaking on an even greater scale and immeasurably more important. The Heart of Swindon initiative, officially launched earlier this year with a presentation at the House of Lords, aims for a complete transformation covering everything from housing and education to making the town centre far more attractive to employers - and by extension far more attractive to those service industries which cater to the needs of workforces.
An integral part of this is ensuring that the town centre is as accessible as possible, especially by public transport, cycles and - for those living fairly nearby - on foot.
It is to be hoped that the revamped Fleming Way provides what is needed. It is certainly far more attractive than the rather grim and inefficient Fleming Way of Old, and the pathway direct to and from the town centre could scarcely fail to be infinitely better, not to mention infinitely less squalid and occasionally nerve-wracking, than the grim underpass which preceded it.
According to the most recent announcement, Fleming Way is already playing its part in helping to deliver the council’s vision for the Heart of Swindon.
Cllr Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “This is just the first step in improving the town centre and encouraging the private sector to invest in Swindon.
“We’ve already seen Zurich and FI Real Estate Management showing great confidence in the town centre and we’re working closely with other landlords and organisations to improve other areas close by.
“The scheme itself will replace the dingy, unwelcome bus station with brand-new facilities, creating a lasting first impression of our town centre for visitors, workers and residents alike.
“I’d like to thank the project team for their tireless work in bringing the project to fruition and creating what will be the cornerstone of our plans to transform the town centre over the coming years.”
South Swindon MP Heidi Alexander, equally enthusiastic, said: “The opening of Fleming Way marks a major step forward in the creation of a town centre that Swindon can be proud of.
“Alongside the council and with the help of private sector partners, I’m committed to driving forward our ambitious plans to breathe new life into the heart of our town.
“The new Fleming Way gateway is a vital piece of the puzzle, connecting the railway station to the town centre, attracting business investment, and improving access for local people.”
The council also noted improvements to the road and wider public realm had already been referenced by global banking giant Zurich as a reason for why it committed to keeping its headquarters in Swindon, located in Unity Place next to Fleming Way.
The announcement painted an enticing picture of the future: “Visitors arriving into the town centre by train, bus or bike will enjoy a vastly-improved public realm, with more than 181 trees and 23,000 plants and bushes being planted.
”There will also be new bus shelters with more space to allow for better accessibility for those in wheelchairs, wireless charging, digital screens - with Real Time Information for departures - and solar panels.
”The new road will also create a better space for bus services around Swindon and the surrounding areas, as well as national and inter-city routes.
”New cycle lanes have also been added, connecting the town's two main cycle routes and providing a sustainable way for cyclists to travel through Swindon or to the town centre.
”With all bus services moved to Fleming Way, the dilapidated bus station located just off Manchester Road will be demolished.”
The changes to Fleming Way will not, of course, see to it that everything in the town centre is abruptly wonderful. In the immediate term, the more cynical among the town’s many social media commentators will still be able, for example, to compare the current offering of town centre shops with those of yesteryear and find 2025 sorely wanting.
What they do not seem to understand, or in some instances want to understand, is that the town and city centres of the past are gone forever. Their death warrant was signed the first time somebody had the notion of enabling the public to do their shopping with no more effort than a few strokes at a keyboard.
That does not mean, however, that the town and city centres of the future need necessarily be bleak places devoid of interest and prosperity. Nothing could be further from the truth - provided that a spirit of innovation, optimism and practicality prevails.
All being well, Fleming Way will come to be seen as being among the first proofs of this in Swindon.
The Ink News Briefing
STEAM celebrates 200 years of railways - The team at STEAM say the venue is the place to be over the Summer with a new exhibition and activities to celebrate 200 years of the railways. With funding from GWR’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund, the museum has created both a new photographic exhibition and a new monthly event for visitors aged under five. Full Story here
Swindon woman tried to import 10kg of cannabis - Amy Dunn, 37, of Queens Drive, Swindon appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on July 18 where she admitted being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a Class B drug and possession of a Class B drug. Full Story here
Latest Longevity Games most successful yet - A Swindon fitness event suitable for all continues to go from strength to strength. The Longevity Games is a fitness initiative helping people of all ages and abilities to maintain their health and functional strength as they grow older. It focuses on promoting healthy aging and building a strong, supportive community through a variety of challenging activities. Participants test themselves across functional movements and exercises, competing within their ability level. Full story here
New West Swindon litter-picking station - A successful trial has prompted West Swindon Parish Council to install a litter-picking station at Claypits Play Area off Cartwright Drive. The station is part of the Council’s popular two-minute litter pick scheme, which encourages residents to do a quick clean-up during their visit to parks and play areas. Full story here
Making a Scene
A Spotlight on... tomorrow’s My Dad's Bigger Than Your Dad Festival
By Dave Franklin of Dancing About Architecture
When we lose someone close to us, it often feels as if we have lost a part of ourselves.
I think it is fair to say that when we sadly lost Dave Young to cancer, Swindon music became a slightly lesser place. Some might argue that he was just another venue owner, another musician, or another music fan, but anyone who met him, worked with him, or got to know him knew it was more than that. He had an energy, a positivity, a passion for making things happen that was infectious.
And it is that spirit which beats at the heart of the event that was founded to pay tribute to him, the oddly named (more of which later) My Dad's Bigger Than Your Dad Festival.
If Dave was the musical heart of The Victoria, the Old Town music venue that he ran with his partner, Anna, she was the business sense, and not only was that venue the home to some great names, across all genres, on a personal note, it was through conversations with them that both Songs of Praise promotions and The Swindon Shuffle were founded.
And it was Anna who instigated what was supposed to be a one-time festival in the Town Gardens, in celebration of the man and everything he had done for the local music scene.
However, as with everything else connected to Dave, the festival was such a success that the powers-that-be urged it to become an annual event. And, come rain or shine, power cuts and the usual minor problems aside, it is now in its fifth year.
And, as always, with such a community-based, family-friendly festival, there is something for everyone. Rogues contain a few familiar faces from the alt-rock world, but here it is all about playing the big hits from the '50s to the present day. Plucking Different also opt for well-known, crowd-pleasing covers but do so via the medium of ukulele-driven sound.
Talk in Code brings the original, stadium-ready pop, big songs for a big day, and JB & The Mojo Makers take main man Jim Blair's trademark upbeat bluesy grooves and delta delicacies and turn them into a full-on R&B revue.
Nothing Rhymes With Orange exists at that point where indie finesse meets rock anthemics, and if ska and reggae are more to your taste, Subject A's cinematic and scintillating take on those genres will delight the lifelong Rude boy and the wider music fan alike: groove will not be in short supply - as is also the case with The Crystal Wolf Project, which offers delicious digital sounds, late night music for the discerning daytime electronic dance fan.
The day gets underway with covers from Red 17 and rising rapper Ellis Evason, and, as always, there is plenty more music of the stripped-down variety at the bandstand, plus vendor stalls and fairground amusements, all happening outside the ticketed area. So even if you don't fancy a full day of music on the main stage, a stroll in the park, a few rides for the kids, a cup of tea, and the chance to browse a few craft stalls sounds good to me.
It all helps the worthy cause, which is the whole point of the festival, raising money for Prospect Hospice, the essential end-of-life care charity that looked after Dave and his family during those difficult last few days.
So, it's just another festival; we have loads of those already, I hear you say. We do, but MDBTYD, a local, not-for-profit, fundraising festival run on a shoestring budget, is precisely the sort of event that is getting squeezed out. Of course, you will always have gigs like Vengaboys at the football ground, and the chance to hand over a month's wages to see some digital dross at the Ally Pally, but some people want more than that. I know I do.
And, if I started this piece with a reminder of Dave's enthusiam and can-do attitude for local music, surely such an event helps foster more people like him - the teen working the bar or donning a steward's tabard, the kid at their first festival, the would-be sound engineer who doesn't know how to get into the game, the band trying to invigorate the local scene, the promoter of the future, the blogger looking to cover local creative endeavours - who knows what being part of such an event will empower them to do in the future.
Yes, it is about watching a few bands in a park for altruistic and social reasons, but such events are so much more than that.
And as for the name? Well, one year, not long into the Swindon Shuffle's tenure, one of the venues that had always been involved in that weekend of original music decided to host a rival event, on the exact dates and for the same charity under the dubious name The Swindon Scuffle. I was at the Victoria talking to Dave and laughing about the state of affairs with him when the conversation turned to better names for this breakaway faction.
Out of this tongue-in-cheek chat, the name My Dad's Bigger Than Your Dad came up and, so I thought, was instantly forgotten. It came as a bit of a surprise when, the following year, a weekend of music at the venue bore that wonderful and strange moniker. I suppose it then became apparent that it was the perfect name for this festival, which has now become a regular part of the summer music circuit.
So, think yourself lucky, you could be going to the "Ner-ner-na-ner-ner" or the "Come and Have a Go If You Think You're 'Ard Enough" festival. I seem to recall, "Do You Want Some?" was also bandied around. So, if you think that the name is odd, it could have been a lot worse.
So, this Saturday it all happens again. The weather looks good, the lineup is excellent, the vendors are well-stocked, the beers are on ice, and the ticket price is more than reasonable. What have you got to lose?
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Dave Franklin, Dancing About Architecture, 21 Portsmouth Street, Swindon, SN1 2LF
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