Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 09:55 29 Mar 2024
* Bus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 45
* Easter getaway begins with flood alerts in place
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
09:00 Gatwick Airport to Reading
09:46 Westbury to Swindon
09:54 Bedwyn to Newbury
10:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
10:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
11:05 Swindon to Westbury
11:29 Newbury to Bedwyn
11:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
12:17 Westbury to Swindon
12:52 Bedwyn to Newbury
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
06:37 Plymouth to London Paddington
07:03 London Paddington to Paignton
08:35 Plymouth to London Paddington
09:30 Weymouth to Gloucester
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
Delayed
05:03 Penzance to London Paddington
06:05 Penzance to London Paddington
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:15 Penzance to London Paddington
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
09:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 10:09:14 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[149] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[64] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[59] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[58] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
[52] Return of the BRUTE?
[36] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Swindon Station and the Swindon Draft Local Plan 2036  (Read 5819 times)
ellendune
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4452


View Profile
« on: September 08, 2019, 13:08:35 »

The draft local plan includes the following new policy:

Quote
Policy LA 3 Swindon Railway Station
Redevelopment of the Swindon Railway Station and its adjacent car parks, as shown on the
policies map, is supported. Development proposals, whether delivered individually or
comprehensively, are required to comply with the following principles:
a. Comparison retail shall be of a scale and type to serve the needs of station users to avoid
undermining the role of the Primary Shopping Area.
b. The creation of a significant food and beverage cluster is also not supported in this location
because of its potential to detract from the function of Old Town and the Primary Shopping
Area. Food and beverage uses should be limited to the scale and type appropriate to serve
station users.
c. Development should create an additional public pedestrian link across the railway line from
north to south.
d. The provision of office and residential uses as part of the redevelopment will be supported.
Local Plan 2036 Development Management Policies Consultation Draft Swindon Borough Council 11
2 Local Site Allocations
e. Development should create a new landmark principal station façade to Station Road. A
new landmark façade would help reflect the importance of the railway to Swindon’s history.
Modern, innovative or daring design will be supported.
f. The quantum of car parking provided on surface should be reduced and re-provided in a
multi-storey car park, to enable a more efficient use of space and support the creation of
a more urban character.

There is an explanatory note as follows:

Quote
2.1.3 Land around Swindon railway station is predominantly occupied by surface car parking and
this lends the station a 'parkway' character that is not consistent with its town centre location. There
are clear opportunities to intensify the use of land around the station and deliver an upgraded station
which reflect the railway's prominence in Swindon's history, and the high level of use of the station
(with 3,679,242 entries and exits in 2017 and electrification likely to support further passenger numbers
growth)

Swindon Station has a large catchment area, much of it is poorly served by public transport, particularly in the evening (when many long distance travelers return). If Swindon Station is not allowed to be a 'Parkway Station' then there must be a major improvement in Public Transport or there must be a new Parkway station created to take its place. 
Logged
stuving
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7156


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2019, 14:00:08 »

There is an explanatory note as follows:

Quote
2.1.3 Land around Swindon railway station is predominantly occupied by surface car parking and
this lends the station a 'parkway' character that is not consistent with its town centre location. There
are clear opportunities to intensify the use of land around the station and deliver an upgraded station
which reflect the railway's prominence in Swindon's history, and the high level of use of the station
(with 3,679,242 entries and exits in 2017 and electrification likely to support further passenger numbers
growth)

Swindon Station has a large catchment area, much of it is poorly served by public transport, particularly in the evening (when many long distance travelers return). If Swindon Station is not allowed to be a 'Parkway Station' then there must be a major improvement in Public Transport or there must be a new Parkway station created to take its place. 

That's not what it says, is it? The objection is to the large area used for parking, and its visual impact etc., but as much parking stacked vertically on a smaller area does seem to be accepted. Perhaps somewhere else there is a transport policy to reduce the inward commuter road traffic flows, which would lead towards less parking at Swindon station and perhaps to other parkways for commuting to Swindon and to other places (not just London).
Logged
ellendune
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4452


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2019, 14:57:52 »

This is not like other places where you have local stations. The next nearest stations to Swindon are:

Towards London: Didcot (30 miles)
Towards Bath:     Chippenham (20 miles)
Towards S Wales  Bristol Parkway (40 miles)
Towards Gloucester: Kemble (15 miles)

Needless to say we do not have local train services (except Trans Wilts and that is not really local for Swindon). 

On the Berks and Hants line (no direct rail connection) there is also Gt Bedwyn and Pewsey (both 20 miles away).

I live comparatively close to Swindon (4 miles), but after 6 the buses are few and far between.

Yes the plan does propose the same amount of parking, but in an expanding town is that enough?  There seem to be no proposals to improve public transport and the 2 Park and Ride sites built one has been closed and the other is only poorly served. One way to improve the situation would be to make the car park rail users only like the schemes at Bristol Parkway and Oxford. The station car parks are conveniently placed for many offices and at the moment are open to all and well used by non rail users.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40691



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2019, 12:53:55 »

Solo town centre stations serving a major town / small city have a tendency to bring private car traffic into the already-congested area and eat up a significnat land patch that could usefully bring more to the local economy.  But then the car parking does tend to be a good money earner for - well - whoever it is who runs the parking.   Some places - Swindon is a good example (York is another) have a wide range of medium and long distance services running out from them, but few if any local services / stations and those that there are have long gaps between services and between stations. 

There have been suggestions / proposals for extra stations between Swindon and the next current station - at Royal Wootton Bassett, at Hullavington, at South Marston and at Wantage Road, and at Purton. What services would call there, whether they would relieve pressure on the town centre, whether they would provide for local passengers, long distance passengers, or both ... interesting questions.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page