Block Management in Swindon
Repainting a Railway Village block needs permission, and solar at Bishopstone does too.
Swindon Borough Council, not Wiltshire, is the authority for any block we would take on here, and our service covers block, estate and leasehold management for RMCs, RTM companies and freeholders. In the Railway Village a 1980 Article 4 direction removes permitted development for exterior painting. The borough also appears in the Building Safety Fund table, with one to five eligible buildings.
What We Would Put First for a Block in Swindon
Apply Before Exterior Redecoration
The 1980 Railway Village direction removes permitted development for painting the exterior of any building. For a block there we would obtain planning permission before the redecoration cycle and build the lead time into the works programme.
ConsentsRegister Higher-Risk Buildings with the Regulator
A building with at least seven floors or 18 metres in height and at least two residential units meets the statutory registration threshold. For a block of that height we would handle Building Safety Regulator registration and keep the record.
Building safetyInsure with Sewer Flooding History in View
Significant sewer flooding was recorded in July 2006, November 2006, July 2007 and January 2008, with Thames Water responsible for sewers. We would reflect that history in the insurance placement and direct each claim to the right body.
InsuranceCheck Solar Plans at Bishopstone
Bishopstone's March 2015 direction removes rights to install, alter or replace solar photovoltaic or solar thermal equipment. Before specifying a solar scheme on a block there we would obtain permission and then run Section 20 consultation.
Major works and Section 20Managing a Block in Swindon at a Glance
- Local authority
- Swindon Borough Council
- Authority type
- Unitary
- Building control
- Swindon Borough Council Building Control, in house
- County
- Swindon
- Fire and rescue service
- Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- Thames Water
- From our Plymouth office
- Approx. 160 miles by road, a planned journey rather than a casual one
- Setting
- Inland
What It Costs to Move a Block in Swindon to Us
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See the full price list and how a handover works.
Repainting in the Railway Village Needs Planning Permission
Two directions, and both catch work a block actually does. The Railway Village direction has been in force since 1980. It removes permitted development for painting the exterior of any building, as well as for extensions, alterations and porches. The council judged that permitted development had to be controlled to stop the character of a nationally important early Victorian model village being spoilt. The Bishopstone direction, in force from March 2015, is narrower. It covers installing, altering or replacing solar photovoltaic or solar thermal equipment on a dwellinghouse or a building in its curtilage. For a block in either place, planning permission belongs in the programme before redecoration or a solar scheme goes to major works consultation.
Purpose-Built Blocks Far Outnumber Conversions
Modern and purpose-built rather than converted. At the 2021 Census 14,584 of Swindon's 95,862 households, 15.2 per cent, were in a purpose-built block. Only 1,458, 1.5 per cent, were part of a converted or shared house, well under half the England rate of 3.5. Planned growth continues in the same vein, with the Wichelstowe extension supporting 4,500 new homes and the Kimmerfields town centre scheme up to 250. With most flats in purpose-built blocks, reserve fund plans should follow each block's own roof, fabric and services rather than the shared structure of a converted house.
Sewer Flooding Is Documented, and River Risk Is Modest
Modest river risk, real sewer risk. The two main rivers through Swindon are the Ray and the Cole, both tributaries of the Thames. The council is the lead local flood authority for the borough. Its flood risk management strategy records that significant sewer flooding occurred in July 2006, November 2006, July 2007 and January 2008. Responsibility splits three ways: the Environment Agency for main rivers, the council for surface water, groundwater, gullies and ordinary watercourses, and Thames Water for sewers and mains. For a block, the insurer should know the sewer flooding history, and a claim needs directing to the right body.
27 Conservation Areas, Many of Them Absorbed Villages
27 conservation areas, listed by name by the council and heavily weighted toward villages absorbed by the town. They include Badbury, Bishopstone, the Blunsdons, Chiseldon, Highworth, Liddington, four separate Swindon Old Town areas, Swindon's Railway, Rodbourne Cheney, the Wanboroughs and Wroughton. The Railway area brings together the 1975 Railway Village and the 1987 Railway Works, merged into one conservation area in 2020. A block in any of these areas needs external works checked against conservation controls before the specification is fixed.
One to Five Building Safety Fund Buildings in the Borough
Swindon appears in the government's Building Safety Fund remediation table by local authority, with a banded figure of one to five eligible buildings. Remediation has started or completed on all of them but completed on under half. Counts of five or fewer are banded deliberately, to prevent individual buildings being identified. The fund covered buildings over 18 metres. The statutory registration threshold is a building with at least seven floors or 18 metres in height and at least two residential units. A block at that height must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator and its safety case kept up to date.
What Else Changes About Managing a Block in Swindon
- Swindon is not part of Wiltshire Council's area and has not been since 1 April 1997, so every consent, every housing standards question and all flood liaison goes to Swindon Borough Council.
Tribunal Decisions on Blocks in Swindon
Published First-tier Tribunal decisions on named developments here, each read in full. They show what the tribunal expects of whoever runs a block in this area.
| Development | Issue | Decided |
|---|---|---|
| Marlborough Park, Pipers Way | Section 20 consultation | 15 March 2025 |
| The Bath Building, Bath Road, flats 2, 6, 10 and 11 | Breach of lease | 19 February 2020 |
| 15 Boatman Close, Orchid Fields | Administration charges | 23 March 2020 |
| David Murray John Tower, Canal Walk | Section 20 consultation | 21 January 2019 |
| The Bath Building, 40 Bath Road | Insurance | 11 June 2014 |
| Ariadne Road, Oakhurst | Right to manage | 23 October 2012 |
| Ariadne Road, Oakhurst | Right to manage | 25 October 2011 |
Going Deeper in Swindon
Towns and Villages We Cover Around Swindon
Old Town, Stratton St Margaret, Haydon Wick, Priory Vale, Redhouse, Wichelstowe, Highworth, Wroughton, Royal Wootton Bassett, Covingham.
Service charge or accounts query? Email accounts@
Swindon Questions
Who Is Responsible When Our Swindon Block Floods?
It depends on the source. The Environment Agency handles main rivers such as the Ray and the Cole, both Thames tributaries. Swindon Borough Council, as lead local flood authority, handles surface water, groundwater, gullies and ordinary watercourses. Thames Water handles sewers and mains, which matters given the sewer flooding recorded in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Has Swindon Had Building Safety Fund Remediation?
Yes. Swindon appears in the government's Building Safety Fund table with a banded figure of one to five eligible buildings, remediation started or completed on all of them but completed on under half. Counts of five or fewer are banded deliberately to prevent individual buildings being identified. The fund covered buildings over 18 metres.
Are the Railway Village and Railway Works One Conservation Area?
Yes, since 2020. The Railway area brings together the 1975 Railway Village and the 1987 Railway Works, merged into one conservation area in 2020. The Railway Village Article 4 direction, in force since 1980, removes permitted development for exterior painting as well as extensions, alterations and porches.
Is My Building in Swindon a Higher-Risk Building?
It is if it is 18 metres or seven storeys with two or more residential units, in which case it must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator.
Nearby Areas
Talk to Us About Your Building in Swindon.
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