Wichelstowe in Swindon shows how a local authority can work in partnership with a major housebuilder through a 50:50 joint venture, investing its own land and capital to deliver at scale.
Wichelstowe is a new 250 hectare community to the south of Swindon which will deliver around 4000 homes. The site first gained planning consent in 2005 and 800 homes were delivered in phase 1 of the site, East Wichel, through a Joint Venture (JV) between Swindon Borough Council (SBC) and Taylor Wimpey. However, this partnership was brought to an end following the financial crisis in 2009. SBC focused on direct delivery of the new District Centre while seeking a new partner. Then, in 2019 a 50/50 JV between SBC and Barratt (now Barratt Redrow) was agreed to deliver a further 2,750 homes, with specialist later-living accommodation delivered by McCarthy Stone and Anchor.
The JV has its own Board which oversees delivery and joint decision making, where joint approval is required for key decisions. It is the JV’s responsibility to deliver strategic infrastructure before individual development parcels. Both parties lend to the JV and share the risk and returns: SBC provides both land and capital, while Barratt Redrow provides funding for infrastructure through Section 106 agreements, with housebuilding is jointly funded. Loan notes are issues for both parties and repayment ensures revenue repays loans before profits are distributed 50/50. The JV aims to benefit from the experience, supply chain and capacity of Barratt Redrow while ensuring the design is bespoke to the area and contributes to the town. Strong relationships and trust between the partners and the JV were also key to its success. These positive relationships were supported by the secondment of SBC officers into the JV. The JV has not sold parcels on to multiple competing volume housebuilders as a traditional master developer would. Instead, it has largely retained delivery through Barratt Redrow, aside from specialist providers for later living. This has allowed SBC to have greater influence over consistent design quality and the coordination of early infrastructure delivery. The JV has also led to simpler governance and the ability to retain financial returns within the delivery vehicle.
The first phase of the District Centre including school campus, pub and restaurant and a Waitrose was delivered early to create confidence in the development and establish a sense of place, with canal restoration delivered alongside development. The council playing a leading role in ensuring the scheme met its wider corporate ambitions by bringing forward both public and private investment in the scheme. A further phase of the district centre will include a health centre, gym, commercial units, retirement apartments and market space. The wider site also hosts extensive open spaces, playing pitches, allotments, nature conservation, three primary schools and a secondary school. Following its National Residential Site of the Year 2026 award and participation in Modeshift Star awards, Wichelstowe has been a focus on sustainable travel initiatives, community events, public art and infrastructure such as EV chargers and a car club. The Wilts and Berks Canal and towpath act as key movement corridors and SuDS network infrastructure, with a boardwalk forming connections across flood plains which also serve as wildlife sites.
Wichelstowe’s Canal Side was designed with Swindon Borough Council to ensure that it met corporate ambitions for the emerging district centre – Image credit: Wayland Smith CC
