Starting from 2014, the government has successfully held three rounds of local growth deals among 38 LEPs who bid competitively for the investment.

The Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership area  has benefited from a total of £169m of Local Growth Fund (LGF) since 2014 to date. In 2014/2015, the SWLEP secured £140.8m in two Local Growth Deals from the government which is funding projects through to 2021.

Some of the key projects completed using LGF 1&2 funds include:

  • An investment of £2.0m in Malmesbury to construct two roundabouts near the Dyson facility. These have significantly improved access to the facility.
  • A section of the A350 around Chippenham is converted into a dual carriageway, improving the journey to work for thousands of commuters daily.
  • The Greenbridge roundabout in East Swindon received a £5.3m upgrade to improve traffic flow in the area, supporting the 8,000 home New Eastern Villages development.

Other projects under construction include:

  • £4.0m investment into the first phase of the Porton Science Park – a site adjacent to the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the Public Health England (PHE) facilities at Porton. Phase 1 comprises a 45,000 sq ft innovation and ‘grow on’ space building which will provide office and laboratory space for companies in the area looking to grow in the fields of Health and Life Sciences.
  • £48.7m of investment into building transport infrastructure around the 8,000 home New Eastern Villages site in Swindon
  • £16.0m into developing Chippenham Station and its surrounding area
  • A £6.0m project is underway to move the Swindon bus station from its current location to the Fleming Way area, providing a gateway into the centre of the town. Additionally, three bus routes are being developed to support the housing growth at New Eastern Villages, Wichelstowe and Tadpole Farm.
  • Building the digital infrastructure around Wiltshire with Ultrafast / Next Generation Access (NGA) (>100Mbps / >30Mbps) Broadband network solution for SME’s.

The third round of LGF funding will be invested in the following projects:

  • £22.03m to construct two new facilities at Wiltshire College.At the Salisbury campus a new Construction, Life Sciences, Engineering and Higher Education facility will be built and at the Lackham   campus a new Agricultural Technology Centre will be built.
  • £6.06m to re-develop the Central Car Park and the Maltings area in Salisbury with new retail and commercial space enhancing Salisbury’s attractiveness as a tourist city.
  • £3.1m to realise the People Friendly Street scheme designed to prioritise space for pedestrians and cyclists in the centre of Salisbury.  Including a low traffic area  the introduction of parklets and seating, additional cycle parking, priority crossings, an eCycle hire scheme and improvements to wayfinding.

Last updated 2 October 2020