The six-storey block, which sits above the former Debenhams store on Fleming Way, is being converted into new homes as part of a wider regeneration of the site.
Falcon House was built in the late nineteen sixties and formed part of Swindon’s post-war shopping precinct. For many years it housed office tenants before falling largely vacant more than a decade ago.
As the building deteriorated, it became a prominent and often-criticised feature of the town centre skyline.
In 2022, Swindon Borough Council confirmed that London-based developer Avivco Developments had taken on the project. The scheme involves converting the former office block into sixty-five apartments.
Work was expected to take around eighteen months, with the aim of bringing residential use back to the largely unused upper floors.
With the scaffolding now gone, the exterior appearance of Falcon House is clearer to see. The updated façade looks significantly more modern than before, marking visible progress on the scheme.
The lower part of the former Debenhams building was set to be reused as a self-storage facility, although those plans have been dropped.
Debenhams closed the store in 2020 as part of the retailer’s national collapse. The redevelopment has been seen as a way of adding more quality residential housing into the town centre.
Nearby, the roof of the former Debenhams car park is now being used to store construction materials. Some residents have questioned whether it could eventually be adapted for parking linked to the new apartments.
Although the interior work is not visible from outside, the removal of scaffolding has sparked renewed interest in the project.
After years of neglect, Falcon House is beginning to show signs of a new future in the heart of Swindon.
