Timber finishes, grey and cream bricks and white and silver render all feature as part of the design for scores of houses to be built in Swindon.

Developer Keepmoat homes has had its detailed plans for 134 homes, a daycare and creche and a care home to be built on land at the WH Smith headquarters site approved by planners at Swindon Borough Council.

Outline planning permission for a housing scheme of that size had previously been granted by the council.

The plans by Keepmoat show the houses will be built in one large rectangular area directly next to the Smith;'s tower and warehouse building, on what is now car parking

Two three-storey blocks of flats will be built at either end of the site. One will have 24 two-bedroom flats and the other the ‘inter-generational’ care home with another 18 two-bed apartments.

In between, the two roads nearly 90 houses will be arranged in rows around a central park designed as a ‘village square’ for the development.

The plans show public green space in the form of a wooded park "accessible via central avenue, to provide a focal point and encourage social interaction in a positive public realm."

Plans show there will be trees planted around three edges of the housing site to act as a green buffer between the new estate and the light industrial estate which will surround it.

The provision of parking had been a potential stumbling block. The borough council's highways office had initially recommended refusal of the scheme because of what he felt was inadequate parking-leading to the risk of danger on the roads.

He was persuaded that the demand for parking at the creche would be lower than thought and dropped his objection.

The council's contamination and pollution officer said he was "disappointed" to see no mention of electric car charging points in the application details- although the borough council's newly adopted building standards mandate charging points, or the ability to have them added, in all new build houses.

In terms of the appearance of the houses, Keepmoat says: "Blocks are edged with a continuous common building line, fronting onto streets and backing onto private secure

areas, so that public and private spaces are clearly defined. The development creates a neighbourhood with its own distinctive character, incorporating a mix of uses including housing , care facilities and community use which together with the landscaping and careful choice of materials will create a strong sense of place."