Town rejuvenation plans are finalised
£800,000 SCHEME TO TRANSFORM SWADLINCOTE TOWN CENTRE SUBMITTED TO DISTRICT COUNCIL
FRESH details of how £800,000 will be spent on transforming Swadlincote town centre have been revealed.
Included in the overhaul will be the replacement of the entire “tired” paving on The Delph and the introduction of bollards to prevent vehicles from accessing the pedestrian area.
The town’s former indoor market will be demolished and in its place will be a “multi-functional” event space, which could include theatres, specialist markets and even an open air cinema. When these are not in use, the site will double as a free car park.
The late 19th century building, known as Bank House and Bretby View, opposite the Market Hall, will also be bulldozed to make way for a car park. At the rear of this building is currently overgrown land known as Sabine’s Yard. This will be turned into a small park, with a wildflower meadow, a picnic area, trees and a play area.
Plans were unveiled in March and now the proposals have been finetuned and submitted by South Derbyshire District Council for its planning committee to consider. A decision on the scheme is due to be made in the next few months, and, if approved, the work would be completed by the spring of next year.
The council’s chief executive Frank Mcardle said: “I am pleased that we are able to submit detailed plans and illustrations for the regeneration of a major part of Swadlincote town centre.
“The plans also include work to be carried out to clear the former Sabine’s Yard site off Belmont Street and demolish the former Bank House building off Midland Road.
“This will allow the creation of a pocket park with a small wildflower meadow, a picnic lawn, trees, a play area and a considerable amount of free public parking at the northern part of the site.
“A further 63 additional free public car parking spaces will be provided on the site of the former Bank House building. However, the five large trees on the approach from Civic Way will remain and be protected.
“If approved, the work would be carried out in conjunction with the replacement of the surface and complete refurbishment of The Delph area in the centre of the town.”
Sabine’s Yard got its name from Sabine and his brother, who were blacksmiths who lived in Swadlincote in the early 1800s. Among other things, they invented the extrusion machine for making sockets on the ends of clay pipes. This was used by the pipe manufacturer, Thomas Wragg, with great success as it meant sections of pipe could be joined together more easily. Sabine’s Foundry made munitions during the first and second world wars.
The style of Bank House indicates an original use as a domestic home, probably constructed in the late 19th century. Bretby View appears similarly domestic in scale, but the detail of the fenestration indicates a later, probably Edwardian construction.
The details of the changes in use over time are difficult to precisely identify, but the latest use, abandoned in the early 21st century, was as an office building accommodating a legal and financial services company.