THE council is moving forward with plans to make it easier to build assisted living bungalows on three sites in the town.

A need for this type of housing in Swindon has prompted Swindon Borough Council to call for Local Development Orders (LDOs) in a bid to help reduce the amount of planning red tape involved in getting them built.

Land at the end of Linden Avenue in Pinehurst, land behind Abbey View Road in Moredon and land behind Bembridge Close in Park North have been selected as possible locations, with eight being proposed at each site, 24 in total.

A full public consultation will take place before the LDOs, which will remove the need for planning permission, are introduced.

The reason the orders are being introduced for this type of development is the people who will live in them will have bespoke needs. When built they will be for the elderly, those with autism and those with complex physical disabilities.

A report which went before the council’s Planning Committee on Tuesday said: “The rationale for using an LDO to deliver these assisted living schemes (as opposed to the conventional planning application route) is that each bungalow would be configured to the needs of the person living in it, and their care requirements.

“A conventional planning permission does not provide the flexibility to enable homes to be substantially remodelled without recourse to a fresh planning application. However, an LDO would allow the homes to be reconfigured without recourse to planning (subject to the design being within the parameters of the LDO).”

The main advantage of the bungalows, which the council say will be built to a high standard, is those with specialist needs will be able to live in suitable accommodation without having to move away from family and friends. A wider benefit is that costs for providing adult social care will be reduced.

At Tuesday’s meeting, it was also agreed to push forward with LDOs which could lead to solar panels appearing on many sites around the town.

In a move described as ‘incredibly positive’ by committee members, a public consultation will now be held on 30 locations, including town centre car parks, the GWH car park and solar sound barriers along the M4 and A419.

It is part of the council’s plan to turn Swindon into a leading producer of renewable energy.

Coun Dale Heenan (Con, Covingham and Dorcan), the cabinet member for sustainability, last week said: “Swindon has a clear ambition to encourage renewable energy, find new ways to exploit these technologies and, importantly, do it in a way that retains local community support. “The council has had considerable success with supporting business to expand and grow by removing planning red tape, and we are applying the same thinking to renewables.”