The facility was officially opened by Swindon’s Mayor Councillor Neil Hopkins alongside Haydon Wick Parish Council Chairman Councillor Vinay Manro.
It replaces a small storage shed that had no running water or toilet facilities and was no longer suitable for the team responsible for maintaining parks, play areas and other green spaces across the parish.
Councillor Vinay Manro, chairman of Haydon Wick Parish Council, said:
“This building is for our Parks and Open Spaces team, all the staff you see out maintaining the grass areas, the hedges and the 26 play parks that we maintain.
“It gives them a local site within the parish. Previously we were working out of a borough council building at Waterside, which meant added travel each day.”
The depot has been designed with sustainability in mind. Solar panels generate much of the building’s electricity during daylight hours, while a rainwater harvesting system will collect water for use on the neighbouring allotments. Councillor Manro said:
“We’re not currently drawing anything from the grid whilst the sun is shining, and we’re recovering rainwater as well. We’ll use that water to help the allotment holders.”
The building has been constructed on part of an allotment site. Four plots were temporarily taken out of use while work was carried out, with tenants relocated during construction. Those plots have now been reinstated and are back in use. The opening also highlighted the ongoing demand for allotments across Swindon.
Haydon Wick currently manages three allotment sites and is exploring the possibility of creating a fourth site in Oakhurst to help meet demand.
Councillor Manro said allotment rents remain deliberately affordable, with most plots costing less than £60 a year depending on their size. He said:
“We’re determined to keep growing our allotment provision whilst there’s demand, but these things cost a lot to get going.”
Parish Clerk Georgina Clark said the completion of the project marked the end of years of planning. She said:
“We are delighted as a council. The team love the new facility, they’re extremely proud of it and they’re keeping it spick and span, which is lovely to see.
“From Haydon Wick community’s perspective, I think they’re really proud of this facility. It should make us very efficient and very sustainable going forward.”
The council says bringing its grounds maintenance operation into the heart of the parish will reduce unnecessary travel, lower running costs and allow teams to respond more quickly to the needs of local residents.
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