Work starts on mammoth Wiltshire business park

Work has started on a huge business and logistics park in the centre of Wiltshire.

The park, which is on the site of the former Honda factory in Swindon, will create thousands of jobs.

Winvic Construction, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of private and public sector construction and civil engineering projects, has been awarded the first contract in the redevelopment of the former Honda Car Plant in Swindon by Panattoni.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited the site – one of the largest brownfield sites in the UK – to mark the start on site at Panattoni Park Swindon with Panattoni’s UK executive leadership team and Winvic team members.

Rishi Sunak called Panattoni Park a “groundbreaking development” and said it will create “thousands and thousands of high-quality jobs” for the local area.

He added: “What we’re able to celebrate today is one of the largest investments in the south, one of the largest development sites in the south. Everyone here can look forward to a brighter future.”

The works to be delivered by Winvic comprise sitewide ground contamination investigations and the demolition of four main existing structures; a research and development building, an engine plant, two car plants and 12 ancillary buildings. The work commenced on 19 February and will be complete in January 2025.

Winvic will be working closely with subcontractor AR Demolition and all the existing hardstandings, foundations and slabs will be crushed and reused on site.

Winvic will also be managing the existing substation on the site, through subcontractor PW Group.

The main contractor has appointed long-term team member, Richard Reid, as the project manager; Reid is Winvic’s demolition expert but he also worked on the construction of the Honda Car Plant 1 in 1992. Furthermore, Winvic has employed Honda’s former Facilities Electrical Engineer, who worked at the plant for 30 years, to help facilitate isolations for the demolition.

The ground assessments will comprise samples being taken up to eight metres below ground level in 22 locations across the site, where demolition is required before appraisals can be undertaken; for example, where diesel and petroleum has been previously stored.

Wider infrastructure works will follow the demolition and ground investigations, forming plateaus for the first 7 of 11 net zero carbon buildings that will total 7.2 million sq ft of new advanced industrial space, fit for logistics, manufacturing and data centre uses.

Seven thousand jobs will be created for the people of Swindon and surrounding communities and 9,000 indirect jobs in the supply chain over the next 10 years.

When complete, the logistics and manufacturing park will allow pedestrian, cycle and bus access through the site and have new connections to the surrounding areas and deliver a new water course with generous landscaping which will improve flood resilience and provide an ecologically rich corridor.

Danny Nelson, Winvic’s Director of industrial, distribution and logistics, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected to for the first phase of Panattoni Park Swindon based on our expertise in specialist and complex demolition and delivery of industrial and logistics parks of this scale. Having worked in partnership with Panattoni on numerous projects over the past few years, we look forward to building on our fantastic relationship.

“Having the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visit the site to celebrate our start on site and to praise Panattoni’s investment in the region was also an honour. We have built an expert team who are prioritising safety; they have made a good start and are looking forward to driving the project through completion next January.”

Owen Follett, project delivery director, Panattoni added: “We are delighted to be working with Winvic once again following their appointment on Phase 1 of this ambitious landmark project. Their strong track record of delivering quality on even the most challenging projects speaks for itself. As well as creating an attractive location for businesses to locate and expand their operations, this will be a highly sustainable development with the demolition process for Panattoni Park Swindon recycling over 95 percent of onsite materials and achieving net zero carbon during construction.”