THE Mechanics’ Institution Trust unveiled its vision for the future of Swindon’s historic Railway Village before a packed house at the Central Community Centre last night.

Tickets for the event sold out within 48 hours, with supporters of Swindon’s heritage eager to be among the first to hear the results of the Trust’s viability study into the future of the Grade 2* listed Mechanics’ Institute and its ideas for the area.

The plans would see the iconic building, which has now sat empty and boarded up for many years, transformed into a bustling and vibrant hub of the community once more.

With space for films and events, offices for community organisations, conference facilities, a new restaurant and even a theatre, the Mechanics could be restored as one of Swindon’s most important locations, at a cost of between £15m and £20m.

Around £12m would be sought through a funding bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund, with the rest coming from a trust, foundations and a public fundraising campaign.

The viability study and the resulting vision document unveiled last night is the culmination of the first stage of the project – the next would see the Trust delve further into the fine detail with the development of the detailed business case required for the Heritage Lottery Fund application process.

That work will likely cost in the region of £50,000 and the Trust is confident that, subject to a letter of support from Swindon Borough Council, it will secure that funding from the relevant bodies.

Last night’s event comes at a pivotal moment for heritage issues in the town, with public concern over the future of buildings such as the Health Hydro gathering pace.

Daniel Rose, the Trust’s director, said: “It felt very timely to arrange this event for us to share our thinking regarding the future of Swindon’s most important heritage area.

“It has been great to see so much public engagement in our local heritage recently and the Trust wanted to take this opportunity to share a positive vision for Swindon.

“We are inspired by the pioneering character and energy of those that created New Swindon from a green field site in the 1840s.

“The GWR built the railway works and provided the housing in the village but it was down to the workers themselves to come together to solve the big issues and challenges of the day through organisations such as the Mechanics’ Institution. This wasn’t just a building but a whole way of doing things.”

Central to the Trust’s vision is the argument that with public sector finances strained and concern with the council’s ability to manage heritage assets growing, it falls to the community to step up.

“Swindon has the potential to lead the way in community-led heritage regeneration,” said Daniel. “Rather than heritage seen as a barrier to change or only seen for its economic benefit for private profit and interests, we see the role it has for social and cultural regeneration. It is our biggest asset for our collective future as a place we feel proud to live and promote.”

He said there had been “a lack of aspiration” and that “bland, isolated or lazy thinking that seeks only to serve private interests” had held back the rejuvenation of the heritage quarter for too long.

He added: “There must be an end to secretive, behind closed doors deals impacting our heritage by people and organisations that have no real understanding or responsibility to the place.”

In addition to its vision for the Mechanics’ Institute, the Trust is also calling for a number of important assets, The Platform and The Cricketers pub, to be swiftly transferred to it.

On the Health Hydro, it is calling on leisure operator GLL to make it clear within the next year that it has a viable future plan for the site. If it doesn’t the Trust says it has plans that can make it a success.

The Trust has urged the council to look again at plans to put a £22m new museum and art gallery in the car park next to the Wyvern Theatre, which would also be bidding for money from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Instead, it believes the project should be housed inside the expansive Carriage Works, a solution it argues will be more attractive to heritage funding bodies who will be key players in ensuring the success of any new venture.

Read more about the Trust's plans for each of the key Railway Village buildings below:

MECHANICS' INSTITUTE

At the heart of the Trust’s vision for the Railway Village is a revitalised Mechanics’ Institute.

Their plans for the building could see it returned to its previous position at the heart of Swindon’s civic life.

The audience heard plans to deliver a 200-person capacity tiered seating event space for independent films, lectures, conferences, and performances in the a respectfully restored Reading Room.

A restored building would aspire to become the primary forum for community action in Swindon and would include flagship office accommodation for community and civic action organisations as well as a conference suite.

A new restaurant would occupy a central location of the ground floor along with a small café, bar and a selection of informal seating areas and space for small exhibitions.

The impressive 400-seat capacity theatre would be brought back to its original glory to hold performances by both community and independent theatre groups. The space would also be adaptable for exhibitions, conferences, fairs and ceremonies.

Plans for a co-working business space, along the lines of the Desk concept in Old Town, were also outlined.

HEALTH HYDRO

The Trust believes it is in the long term interest of Swindon for the Health Hydro to be run as an independent operation facilitated by the Trust.

Last night, they revealed that they had been working on an alternative business plan for the building which shows it can be sustainable and also be in a strong position to attract external funding for renovations sensitive to its heritage status.

The Trust hopes the current operator, GLL, can make the building work themselves.

However, they argue that if that does not happen within the year then GLL should move aside and allow local people to step forward.

They also called on Swindon Borough Council to “stand firm and act in the interests of the building as a heritage asset which means so much to local people.”

THE PLATFORM

The Platform is one of two sites, along with the Cricketers pub, that the Trust would like to see transferred swiftly into its control.

They argue that in the hands of the council, it is “underutilised and has an approach to management that doesn’t contribute to the local area in any coherent way.”

The Trust has worked up proposals for a central facility for youth organisations to work under one roof as well as to provide what it describes as “much needed overflow space to the successful meeting and event space at the next-door Central Community Centre.”

The Platform was identified by the council in the 2013 Leisure and Culture Review as an asset that should go out to tender however this has yet to happen.

THE CRICKETERS

The second of the sites the Trust would like the council to hand over, The Cricketers has been out of use for well over a year and the Trust says it has been difficult to initiate communication with the council over its future.

They said that it “currently blights the area and is in a poor state of repair.”

The Trust wishes to explore the potential for the creation of a shop unit on the ground floor with a bed and breakfast in the extensive residential accommodation above.

A significant budget would be required to convert and renovate the building however it would be a good candidate for new funding and loan finance available for community businesses similar to that secured, by the Trust, for the nearby Bakers Arms.

CARRIAGE WORKS

The Trust has called on the council to make the Carriage Works the new home for the Museum and Art Gallery, whilst also incorporating some of the recently proposed commercial scheme.

They said the proposal would “make a significantly more attractive proposition to the Heritage Lottery Fund, be better value for money, and be well located by the train station and the millions of visitors to the Outlet every year”. They also argue it would support a coherent visitor attraction offer between STEAM and the Railway Village area and the view onto the train line would create a bold statement to thousands of commuters every day.

Daniel Rose added: “The Railway Village is Swindon’s real, authentic cultural quarter and by rejuvenating it once again as the cultural, artistic and social hub of the town we can foster a real sense of identity and local pride.”

CENTRAL COMMUNITY CENTRE

The Central Community Centre transferred from Swindon Borough Council to the Mechanics’ Institution Trust in 2013.

Holding it up as a success story, the Trust described how it had “been transformed in management from only having six regular user groups in 2013 to having 32 in 2017”.

It has gone from making a loss under Swindon Borough Council control to generating a surplus which is being reinvested back into the Trust’s work and wider area.

In addition to the community centre, the Trust is also now responsible for the small but fascinating Railway Village Museum and also the Bakers Arms.

The former pub is due to reopen later this year as a café with renovated residential accommodation on the upper floors.

The project was funded through a grant from Power to Change