A DEVELOPMENT of 31 apartments and three commercial units can now be built in the heart of Old Town after the project was given the go-ahead by Swindon Council.

John O’Flynn Developments has been given consent to demolish empty sheds and warehouses to build the development in Phillips Lane.

The planning committee granted conditional permission for the project, which would be near the new Tiger Bills nightclub, in line with the recommendation from officers.

The approval is subject to a legal agreement to reduce noise for residents, as well as several other conditions.

Councillors also decided that a noise assessment must be carried out after the properties are built. This is to ensure they are acceptable for people to inhabit, and also that all potential buyers are warned there is a nightclub opposite.

Planning committee chairman Coun Dale Heenan said: “It was a very thorough application which covered most of the concerns both councillors and residents had. It was an application that was good enough to accept rather than bad enough to refuse.

“There was a previous appeal on the site which showed that the principle of redevelopment was acceptable, so the committee couldn’t go against that.

“This was about making the best of a situation, and by imposing the strongest possible measures to address problems like noise.

“There will also be commercial units in the development, so we’re increasing jobs and commerce in Old Town.”

The residential element comprises a mix of 13 one-bedroomed and 18 two-bedroomed apartments, arranged in two and three-storey blocks on the north and south side of Phillips Lane.

Three small commercial units make up the ground floor element adjacent to Hooper’s Place.

The site would be accessed from Hooper’s Place and would include 26 car parking spaces for the apartments and three for the commercial units.