TOWN CENTRE: Swindon Borough Council has applied to its own planning department for prior approval to knock down the Parade multi-storey car park. If the plan proceeds the demolition will be done by specialist company The Lawson Group.

The demolition is part of the council’s plan to turn Fleming Way into a 'bus boulevard' and transport hub – a major plank of its town centre regeneration scheme involving development of the Kimmerfields site.

STRATTON ST MARGARET: Perhaps boosted by their success at getting prior approval for the conversion of a modern office block in Kembrey Park trading estate into 44 flats, developer Flower Estates has set its sights on more buildings in the estate.

The Salisbury company has permission to convert Cherry Orchard West into apartments and has put in a bid to be allowed to convert the sister building Cherry Orchard East into the same number.

It hasn’t stopped there. The development company also wants to convert Cherry Orchard North, this time to 52 flats.

HANNINGTON: The application to build a manege for training horses at Bydemill Farm – put in by Hardy Klindt – has been given the go ahead. A manege is a rectangular area for the training of horses, with a surface of sand and enclosed by railings.

OLD TOWN: A lack of demand for three-bedroom flats which don’t have parking could see four apartments – contained in two adjoining Victorian houses – turned into eight.

Developer Allan Heneghan has applied to put a small, one-metre extension at the rear of the three-storey buildings at 179 and 180 Victoria Road, and remodel the insides to create eight two-bed flats where now there are two three-bed apartments, each taking two floors of one of the houses.

WROUGHTON: Wedding bells could be ringing at a farm south of Swindon.

Douglas White runs Overtown Farm south of Wroughton with his family. He has already been able to covert a disused barn on the farm to a café and restaurant with conference and Event facilities. He has now been given the specific permission needed to be able to hold wedding ceremonies in the barn. It was already licensed for receptions.

EXTENSIONS: Applications have been submitted to build extensions to houses at 76 Sams Lane, Blunsdon; 13 Beranburh Field, Wroughton; 17 Bowood Road, Kingshill.

Applications for extensions or outbuildings or conversions of lofts and garages have been approved for: 2 Berkeley Lawns, Lawn; 5 Swanbrook, Covingham; 24 Drydale Road, Taw Hill; 99 Sandringham Road, Lawn; 57 Marney Road, Grange Park; Highbury House, Old Shaw Lane, Shaw; 74 Wheeler Avenue, Stratton St Margaret;28 High Street, Wroughton; 7 St Michaels Avenue, Highworth; 11 Juniper Close, Stratton St Margaret; and 1 Ash Gardens, South Marston.

A plan for an extension to 45 Bath Road, Old Town has been withdrawn and in Eldene, a proposal to build a first-floor extension at 25 Sutton Road has been refused.

Council planners said: “The extension projecting right up to the outer side elevation wall of the adjacent property would result in the terracing of properties. Such a change to the shape and mass and the loss of the current visual break would be unsympathetic to the character and appearance of the street scene.”