A plan to use a former warehouse and offices to sell furniture has been revealed.
And up to 50 new jobs could be created for the people of Swindon if the scheme - next to Greenbridge Retail Park - is approved by Swindon Borough Council.
The application by Denton Pensions Management Ltd doesn’t initially indicate the plan for the empty warehouse in Garrard Way, next to the retail park is for the sale of furniture - it applies for permission to change the use of the large warehouse and office complex to the sale of ‘bulky goods’.
But it becomes plain that the plan is for an unnamed company to move its headquarters operation to Swindon and to open a retail unit as well.
It says: “This site represents the opportunity to provide sufficient floorspace for furniture sales alongside the ancillary office space required to facilitate the operations of the headquarters for a business of this type.
“The proposal does not include the storage of furniture stock within the site, with purchases to be delivered from existing stock at a distribution facility in the Midlands.
“The applicant is content to accept any forthcoming permission which restricts the sale of goods from the retail floorspace to bulky goods (ie furniture sales) only.”
The application says the warehouse office block has been vacant since 2015.
It is easily accessible from the Greenbridge Park, and nearest to The Ridge restaurant, which is the recent tenant in the unit once used by Frankie & Benny’s.
The application says: “The site is located adjacent to the Greenbridge Retail & Leisure Park, an existing retail park which contains a wide range of retail and retail warehousing uses as well as a supermarket, several gyms and restaurants.
“This provides an extensive range of services which the site can benefit from.
“While the site is not located within the retail park, it is perceived as being part of the retail park through a similarly designed building appearance and layout, as well as being located within the same road as several of the retail units on Garrard Way.
“Through the layout of the site, as well as the retail park, the site also appears to form the southwestern corner of the retail park and acts as part of the ‘border’ with Marshgate Industrial Estate.”
The application says if approved, the new use for the site would create five to 10 full-time or full-time equivalent jobs in the furniture showroom and 30-40 FTE employees using the associated offices.
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