Hope at last for derelict building

From the archive, first published Wednesday 28th Sep 2005.

RESIDENTS of Old Town may soon see an end to their marathon wait for action at Cricklade Street, home to one of the town's most threatened old buildings.

Plans to transform the vacant Grade II listed building have been the subject of long delays, much to the frustration of local residents.

And developers David Wilson Homes say a start date for work on the building, which dates back to 1729, is still on the horizon.

Spokeswoman Caroline Hosie said: "It's still early days. We don't anticipate any major work for several weeks.

"We have an internal meeting planned for October 5, and after that we will know what will be happening.

After scaffolding was erected recently, it was thought that building work would start soon, but this is not the case.

"There are movements on site but there is only basic preparation work going on at the moment."

The building was formerly used by solicitors Thring Townsend, but is currently abandoned.

Old Town residents have been concerned by incidents of vandalism on the site. Windows have been smashed, there is a hole in the roof and there have been reports of frequent break-ins.

Once described by the architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as the finest house in Swindon, the building has been the centre of a planning wrangle since the law firm moved out in 2001.

Residents have welcomed plans to convert it into 34 apartments but don't want any further delays.

Coun Wendy Johnson (Lib Dem), who represents the area, said earlier this year that it was a crying shame that the building had been left to decay.

"For every day there is a delay in doing something then there is more decay, " she said.

"We are in danger of losing a building which is an exceptionally important building in Old Town."

Originally, the developer Hannick Homes was given the nod to transform the building, which poet John Betjemen described as the finest townhouse in Wiltshire, into flats but later sold it.

Fears were raised that the plan was too intrusive and many people are now desperate for work to begin.

In 2002, Thring Townsend, one of the top 100 law firms in the country, moved their offices from Old Town into a new 21,000 sq ft building in the Drakes Meadow Business Park, Drakes Way.

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