Swindon car park could become a roller skating venue
Plans submitted to convert Whalebridge Car Park’s top floors
An underused car park in Swindon could soon be transformed into a roller skating facility if newly submitted plans are approved.
Swindon Borough Council has proposed converting the top two floors of Whalebridge Car Park on Islington Street into a roller skating space, operated by Swindon Skate Social.
The facility is part of the Council’s wider Heart of Swindon vision, which aims to revitalise the town centre by encouraging investment and repurposing underutilised spaces. This project would act as a pilot scheme to test the concept’s viability while informing future leisure and creative initiatives in other locations.
Councillor Jim Robbins, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said the plans reflect a need for innovation: “We know the town centre needs a lot of love and it’s something local people want us to improve, which is why we are determined to do what we can to make that happen.
“Town centres are changing and we want to see a mix of housing, leisure, hospitality and retail in Swindon as outlined in our Heart of Swindon vision.
“If we want our town centre to thrive and increase the amount of time people spend in the town centre, we need to look at innovative ways to achieve this, which is what this proposal for Whalebridge car park is all about.”
Swindon Skate Social owner Gareth Davies supported the idea, saying it would provide a much-needed space for skating as well as bring people to the area.
Davies said: “It’s a great idea. We’ve been looking for a safe place to skate for a while, we’ve got one regular booking but it took me two and a half years to find it.
“It’ll bring more people into the town centre, businesses will benefit from us being here, going to the restaurants and shops.
“It’s not just a Swindon event, I’ve been speaking to people across the country and they’re very interested already about this project. It’s a great bonus for Swindon.”
The plans are now with Swindon Borough Council’s planning department for review. If approved, work on the roller skating venue could begin this summer.