The proposal would see the top two levels of the Islington Street car park converted into a community leisure space.
The move marks the council formally progressing the scheme from early discussion to delivery. If approved, the facility would be run by Swindon Skate Social as a pilot project.
The upper floors of Whalebridge Car Park are currently lightly used. The council says the plan aims to bring activity to an underused town centre site and test whether similar schemes could work elsewhere.
The project forms part of the council’s wider Heart of Swindon vision. This sets out plans to reshape the town centre through a broader mix of housing, leisure, hospitality and retail.
Councillor Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said:
“We know the town centre needs a lot of love and it’s something local people want us to improve,” he said.
“Town centres are changing and we want to see a mix of housing, leisure, hospitality and retail in Swindon as outlined in our Heart of Swindon vision,” he said.
“If we want our town centre to thrive and increase the amount of time people spend there, we need to look at innovative ways to achieve this, which is what this proposal for Whalebridge car park is all about,” he said.
Councillor Kevin Small, Cabinet Member for Finance, said the scheme would act as a test case for regeneration.
“These changes to Whalebridge car park will demonstrate how underused spaces can be transformed into vibrant community uses,” he said.
“If this is successful, it will show other landowners what can be done with similar buildings, and we’ll look to bring other facilities to other town centre locations,” he said.
The council has highlighted examples elsewhere in the country where unused buildings have been repurposed for skating and creative uses.
Gareth Davies, owner of Swindon Skate Social, said the decision to move into the planning stage was significant for local skaters.
“We’ve been looking for a safe place to skate for a long time,” he said. “It took me two and a half years to find our current regular booking, and we’ve already outgrown it.”
Members of the skating community say the project could have wider benefits beyond leisure.
Danny Williams, a regular skater, said skating had become an important outlet for wellbeing.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for Swindon,” he said. “Being a skater in my late 30s, it’s given me a huge release for my mental health. The two hours we normally skate really releases endorphins. It’s a different pathway into leisure for Swindon.”
Skater Marie Melvin said the lack of suitable spaces locally has long been a frustration.
“We do need somewhere to skate. Everyone needs somewhere to go and practise,” she said.
“You see these kinds of spaces in other big cities, like London, where they’re using car parks. It would be really good if Swindon could do that as well.”
She added that Swindon Skate Social has already created a strong sense of community.
“It’s huge. We’ve all made loads of friends and we go off to other events together,” she said. “Having this space will just bring even more people together.”
The proposal forms part of the council’s Heart of Swindon vision, which aims to reshape the town centre over the next decade by encouraging new uses for underutilised buildings and infrastructure. The authority has said it wants to lead by example by bringing forward projects on its own assets.
Swindon Borough Council has confirmed that planning applications have now been submitted, and if approved, work on the rooftop skating facility could begin this summer.
Planning applications have now been submitted. If approved, work on the rooftop facility could begin in the summer.
