Rejected plans for old Swindon dance studio revived by developer

A proposal to turn the building which housed a dance school and studio in Old Town into flats has been revived.

Last year a plan by London-based Brett Property Group to put another storey on to the block in Prospect Place last used by the Judith Hockaday Dance School and convert the whole thing into six one-bed flats was refused by Swindon Borough Council.

That pleased ward councillors, the Conservation Area Trust, South Swindon Parish Council and the two dozen nearby residents who wrote in about the plans objecting to it.

But now the property developer has returned with a similar proposal which it says addresses the failings in its last plan.

Included in the application papers is one entitled ‘justification for loss of community facility'. It says: “The existing building (known as ‘Prospect Court’) is vacant and was in use as a private dance studio without any council or charity funding support.

"Due to the lasting effects of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis organisations have had to make alternative decisions to manage their business running costs the dance studio decided to relocate to Marlborough House, Swindon.”

The document includes pictures of the outside of the building with windows boarded up with chipboard panels, as well as pictures of the inside of the building and says its condition has deteriorated and is no longer useable in its current state.

It adds: “Whilst it is ultimately regrettable that the vacant and poorly kept community facility has no current use, the long-term benefits delivered to the change of use of the building, will significantly outweigh the harms through the loss of a commercial building by assisting the current housing land shortfall – which is noted as brownfield.”

The design and access statement in the application says the appearance of the building will be changed to make the proposals more acceptable, and that it will be re-rendered with: “limestone white render and pale grey render with timber vertical slats finished with a natural stain.”

Windows will be repositioned and the documents add: “The new design which is inclusive of an additional storey level of a building which is more economically viable – re-using previously developed land within an urban area for housing, in preference to development of greenfield sites.”

Comments can be made on the plan on Swindon Borough Council’s website using the reference S/24/0664 and should be made by Thursday, July 4.