Wichelstowe district centre, designed by BDP, will span each side of the Wilts & Berks Canal with a market square to bring people together for events.
The plans, submitted by Swindon Borough Council in two separate applications, will support the expanding Wichelstowe neighbourhood.
Wichelstowe is an urban extension on the southern edge Swindon, between the town and the M4 motorway. Over the next 20 years up to 4,000 homes are set to be built there by Barratt Homes and sister company David Wilson Homes, in partnership with Swindon Borough Council.
Canalside East and Canalside West – as the two sides of the development are known – have been designed to bring life to the area both during the day and in the evenings, as well as all year round, with space for a range of uses.
As well as designing the scheme, BDP has provided landscape architecture and mechanical & electrical services for the project.
Nick Ellis, associate architect at BDP, said: “New neighbourhoods are vital in providing the much-needed housing that the country so desperately needs. However, it is also crucial to create a vibrant centre to help knit the community together and of course make them enjoyable places to live.
“The mixture of uses is key to ensuring the area caters to everyone’s needs and that the space is used and enjoyed at different times of the day and year. We have put great thought into the design of the district centre to promote social cohesion with lots of outdoor and indoor communal space, whilst making the most of the canal and including plenty of greenery.”
