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Search the Public Notice PortalAdditions and changes to a listed Swindon building which has become a drone factory have been approved.
Tekever moved into the Grade II* listed Spectrum Building on Mead Way earlier this year and then sought planning permission to add an external plant compound, a new internal access road, fire escape footpaths, two modular security buildings, and a covered external test bay for manufactured components and storage in July.
The works are intended to enable the building’s approved conversion from storage and distribution use to general industrial use.
The council has now approved the proposal, mentioning in its report that the scheme will help bring the building back into full use, support inward investment and create high-skilled employment.
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Spectrum House, formerly the Renault Distribution Centre, is Grade II* listed because of its architectural, technological and historic importance, including its association with Renault and its design by Norman Foster.
The council’s conservation officer concluded that the proposals would cause a less-than-substantial degree of harm, mainly because of the new internal road and additions to the building’s setting, which would be outweighed by the public benefits of enabling the building’s continued and viable use.
Historic England did not offer specific advice and raised no objection.
The council considered that the key façades would remain legible and that the new structures would be modest, industrial in character and located in relatively discreet parts of the site.
The new road will remove around four or five parking spaces, but the council considered the loss minor and said sufficient parking would remain.
The required 10 per cent biodiversity net gain is expected to be secured through a habitat bank because it cannot be delivered entirely on site.
No objections were received from the parish council, and the report records no neighbour representations.
Permission is subject to conditions requiring work to begin within three years, follow the approved plans and supporting documents, and only be carried out during certain daytime hours.
A noise assessment must be carried out within three months of the test bay first being used, with mitigation required if noise exceeds the specified threshold.
The open air plant compound will house air compressor and condenser equipment for day to day operation at the rear of the building.
The application also included new branding, as two external signs would identify the complex as the “Tekever Swindon Facility”, both reusing existing structures that once carried Spectrum signage.
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