Swindon Borough Council has recently approved plans to restore the Old Town Hall and Locarno buildings in the heart of Old Town and developer Bach Homes has called in Stride Treglown to assist with the project.

Two fires in 2003 and 2004 severely damaged the buildings, which had been deteriorating for several years before that. Bach's scheme will create 129 apartments, a restaurant and bar, coffee shop, and a register office overlooking a piazza.

The Grade II listed Town Hall will be sensitively restored to retain the character and features of the original building. Slate tiling to the clock tower and Town Hall roof, along with timber framed windows, will conform to the style and look of the original building.

The restoration of the Old Town Hall and the construction of the new register office will help reinstate the historic role of the Town Square as an area for the public to gather, socialise, and enjoy urban living. The layout of the Square creates a space which will be highly visible from Marlborough Road and which will draw people in.

Deterioration

Steve Rosier, managing director of Bach Homes, said he had watched the deterioration of the Old Town Hall and Locarno buildings over the years.

"We are a local company to Swindon and although we now operate over a wide area the team here had been viewing the situation in Old Town with dismay. Schemes had been put forward that never came to fruition so I decided it was time to take action ourselves. The help we have received from Stride Treglown has been indispensable."

"It's always great to work on a project where you are giving some much-needed TLC to a building that has been neglected for years," said Gary Milliner, divisional director of Stride Treglown.