South Swindon (parish)

Last updated

South Swindon
Villetts House, Old Town, Swindon (geograph 3812137).jpg
Villetts House, Old Town
Wiltshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
South Swindon
Location within Wiltshire
Area16.04 km2 (6.19 sq mi)
Population62,871 (2021 census) [1]
•  Density 3,920/km2 (10,200/sq mi)
OS grid reference SU154851
Civil parish
  • South Swindon
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Places
List
Post town Swindon
Postcode district SN1
Dialling code 01793
Police Wiltshire
Fire Dorset and Wiltshire
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
Website Parish Council
List of places
UK
England
Wiltshire
51°34′N1°46′W / 51.56°N 1.77°W / 51.56; -1.77

South Swindon, formerly Central Swindon South, [2] is a civil parish in the town of Swindon, in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England. The parish covers the southern part of the central area of the town, including the Old Town area, and extends south to take in Wichelstowe and Coate Water. In 2021 it had a population of 62,871.

Contents

South Swindon is the largest civil parish in the Borough of Swindon by population, and the sixth largest civil parish by population in England. The parish borders Central Swindon North, Chiseldon, Liddington, Nythe, Eldene and Liden, Stratton St Margaret, West Swindon and Wroughton. [3]

History and governance

Prior to 2017, the areas which now form part of South Swindon were part of Swindon's non-parished area. Following a Community Governance Review in 2017, [4] four new parishes were created on 1 April, covering all of Swindon's non-parished area. The parish was formed from parts of the unparished area of Swindon and the parish of Chiseldon. [5] [6]

The parish was created with the official name of Central Swindon South. Representatives of the new parish unsuccessfully petitioned Swindon Borough Council to change the name to South Swindon in November 2017. [7] Despite refusal of this request, the parish chose to use "South Swindon Parish Council" as a trading name. [8] Following a renewed request in October 2023, Swindon Borough Council consented to formally change the name of the parish to South Swindon. [9] The change happened on 1 April 2024. [10]

The parish elects 23 councillors at elections held every four years. All elections to date have been contested on a party-political basis, and at the elections held in May 2023 all elected councillors stood for the Labour Party. [11]

The parish offices and council chamber are in the Broadgreen Community Centre in the town centre. [12]

Geography

The north-western boundary of South Swindon is formed by the Great Western Main Line, while the southern boundary is primarily the M4 motorway. The eastern boundary with Nythe, Eldene and Liden parish largely follows the Dorcan Stream (a small tributary of the River Cole).

The parish includes neighbourhoods and communities with distinct identities. These include Walcot, Park North and Park South, Badbury Park, Lawn, Coate, Old Town, and Swindon's urban centre. The East Wichel area of Wichelstowe is within the parish, while Mid Wichel and West Wichel are part of Wroughton parish.

Amenities

South Swindon covers Swindon's Town Centre area, which includes the town's main shopping district, as well as Swindon's Old Town which has further retail and leisure. All of Swindon's commercial theatre venues are in the parish (Wyvern Theatre, Swindon Arts Centre and MECA), as well as one of the town's three multiplex cinemas. South Swindon Parish Council delivers an events service which operates year round across the parish, although the main focus is events in the Town Gardens in Swindon's Old Town.

Swindon railway station is in the parish, as is Swindon's main bus interchange at Fleming Way.

South Swindon parish has direct responsibility for maintaining several of Swindon's most prominent parks, including Queen's Park, the Town Gardens in Old Town, and GWR Park in the town's historic Railway Village. The parish is also home to Coate Water Country Park, which is maintained by Swindon Borough Council. The former farmhouse at Coate, where the nature writer Richard Jefferies was born in 1848, is operated as a museum by a small charity. [13]

South Swindon Parish Council operates two public libraries which are integrated with the Swindon Borough Library Service. Old Town Library was transferred to the parish from Swindon Borough Council in 2017. [14] Badbury Park Library was opened in 2023. [15] Swindon Borough Council directly operates two further libraries in the parish; Central Library in the Town Centre, and Park Library at Cavendish Square. [16]

The parish directly operates community centres in Badbury Park and at Broadgreen in Swindon Central. Other community centres in the parish are operated by voluntary or community groups or by other organisations.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swindon</span> Town in Wiltshire, England

Swindon is a large town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located in South West England, Swindon lies on the M4 corridor, 71 miles (114km) to the west of London and 36 miles to the east of Bristol. The Cotswolds lie just to the town's north and the North Wessex Downs to its south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilts & Berks Canal</span> Canal linking the Kennet & Avon Canal to the River Thames

The Wilts & Berks Canal is a canal in the historic counties of Wiltshire and Berkshire, England, linking the Kennet and Avon Canal at Semington near Melksham, to the River Thames at Abingdon. The North Wilts Canal merged with it to become a branch to the Thames and Severn Canal at Latton near Cricklade. Among professional trades boatmen, the canal was nicknamed the Ippey Cut, possibly short for Chippenham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Swindon</span> Unitary authority area in Wiltshire, England

The Borough of Swindon is a unitary authority area with borough status in Wiltshire, England. Centred on Swindon, it is the most north-easterly district of South West England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wroughton</span> Human settlement in England

Wroughton is a large village and civil parish in northeast Wiltshire, England. It is part of the Borough of Swindon and lies along the A4361 between Swindon and Avebury; the road into Swindon crosses the M4 motorway between junctions 15 and 16. The village is about 2.2 miles (3.5 km) south of Swindon town centre on the edge of the Marlborough Downs, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town of Marlborough is about 11 miles (18 km) to the south, and the World Heritage Site at Avebury is about 7 miles (11 km) to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiseldon</span> Village and civil parish in England

Chiseldon is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The village lies on the edge of the Marlborough Downs, a mile south of junction 15 of the M4 motorway, on the A346 between Swindon and Marlborough. The large village of Wroughton is 2.5 miles (4 km) to the west. The parish includes the hamlets of Badbury, Badbury Wick, Draycot Foliat, Hodson, and Ridgeway View; the ancient manor of Burderop is also within the parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Wroughton</span> UK Royal Air Force airbase

RAF Wroughton is a former Royal Air Force airfield near Wroughton, in Wiltshire, England, about 4 miles (6 km) south of Swindon. Ministry of Defence aviation activity ceased in 1972. The airfield now belongs to the Science Museum Group and is home to the National Collections Centre, which houses the group's large-object storage and library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swindon North (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997 onwards

Swindon North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Will Stone, a Labour politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swindon South (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997 onwards

Swindon South is a constituency in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Heidi Alexander of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coate Water Country Park</span> Country park in Wiltshire, England

Coate Water is a country park situated 5 km (3.1 mi) to the southeast of central Swindon, England, near junction 15 of the M4. It takes its name from its main feature, a reservoir originally built to provide water for the Wilts & Berks Canal. Now named 'Coate Water Country Park', the lake and its surroundings are both a leisure facility and a nature reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stratton St Margaret</span> Civil parish in Wiltshire, England

Stratton St Margaret is a civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The parish covers north-eastern suburbs of Swindon including Stratton St Margaret itself, along with Upper Stratton, Lower Stratton and Kingsdown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Swindon</span>

Swindon is a town in Wiltshire in the South West of England. People have lived in the town since the Bronze Age and the town's location, being approximately halfway between Bristol and London, made it an ideal location for the Locomotive Factories of the Great Western Railway in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badbury, Wiltshire</span> Human settlement in England

Badbury is a hamlet of the civil parish of Chiseldon in Wiltshire, England. It lies approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the south of Swindon, close to the M4 motorway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wichelstowe</span> Human settlement in England

Wichelstowe is a residential development and urban extension on the southern edge of the town of Swindon in South West England, constructed from late 2006. Located north of the M4 motorway between junction 16 and Croft Road, Wichelstowe has three neighbourhoods: East, Middle and West Wichel. The development will comprise up to 4500 homes, employment space, public open space, shopping, community facilities for residents and various schools. In 2014 it was described as the country's largest housing project on public-owned land.

Dorcan is an area in the east of Swindon, Wiltshire, England, located close to the A419.

The Ridgeway School & Sixth Form College is a mixed secondary school and sixth form in Wroughton, near Swindon in the English county of Wiltshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Swindon Borough Council election</span>

The 2018 Swindon Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2018, to elect members of Swindon Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Swindon</span> Human settlement in England

West Swindon is a civil parish in the borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. In 2021 it had a population of 26,846.

Wroughton and Wichelstowe is an electoral ward in the Borough of Swindon, England. Since 2012, the ward has elected three councillors to Swindon Borough Council.

References

  1. ↑ "Central Swindon South: population statistics, 2021 Census". CityPopulation.de. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Election Maps: Great Britain". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  3. ↑ "Central Swindon South". Ordnance Survey . Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  4. ↑ "Community Governance Review". Swindon Borough Council. 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  5. ↑ "The Swindon Borough (Reorganisation of Community Governance) No.1 Order 2017" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England . Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  6. ↑ "Swindon Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  7. ↑ Seaward, Tom (1 November 2017). "South Swindon Parish Council responds to name change block". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "South Swindon Parish Council". Central Swindon South Parish Council. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Aled. "South Swindon Parish Council can change its name". Swindon Advertiser. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Swindon Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  11. ↑ Hudson, Barrie. "The new make-up of Swindon's parish councils following elections". Swindon Link. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "South Swindon Parish Council Contact Us page". South Swindon Parish Council. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  13. ↑ "Richard Jefferies Museum". www.totalswindon.com. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  14. ↑ "South Swindon Parish Council Old Town Library". South Swindon Parish Council. 28 September 2021. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "New Badbury Park library in Swindon officially opens". 5 July 2023. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "Library locations and opening hours". Swindon Borough Council. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to South Swindon (civil parish) at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.