A supermarket and 70 homes are to be built on the site of a disused Swindon office campus in the latest of a string of redevelopment projects of outdated offices and factories around the town.
Bellway Homes is to build the two, three and four-bedroom houses on the Westlea Campus later this year after receiving planning permission from Swindon Council. The Aldi supermarket had already been approved. 
Westlea Campus, which had three office buildings and a car park in landscaped grounds, was one of Swindon’s showpiece schemes built during the western expansion of the town in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Its prominent position close to the iconic Spectrum (formerly Renault) building meant it became a magnet for blue-chip organisations and one time it was occupied by the Training and Enterprise Council as well as hi-tech companies and service firms.
But the developer behind the scheme, London-based Picton Capital, said Westlea Campus had become obsolete and there was insufficient demand from office-based companies to justify the costs of refurbishing it to modern standards.
The housing development will fund 21 affordable homes for local people
Bellway Sales Manager Tim Lund, pictured, said: “We are thrilled that these plans have been approved, and we are looking forward to starting work at the site. 
“This development will breathe new life into land which has been disused for quite some time and help to address the need for more homes in Swindon.
“The homes at this development will cater for a range of needs, from those looking to buy their first home to families seeking more space.
“The site is in a fantastic location. Swindon town centre is easy to access from the development and can be reached in 10 minutes, and the site’s proximity to the M4 offers good road links to larger cities such as London and Bristol.
“We’re looking forward to getting stuck into the site and are hoping to establish a sales presence at the development later in the year.”
It will be the second development handled by Bellway’s new South West division in Swindon. Work is already underway at Liberty Park, a development of 152 homes on the former site of Headlands School.
The South West division, which opened in Bristol earlier this year, will build 200 homes over the coming year and will create up to 50 jobs in the region.
The supermarket will be the German group Aldi’s fourth in Swindon and would take it closer to its target of seven branches in the town. Aldi has its regional distribution centre and head office at South Marston Park, employing around 500 people.
