Monday, 14 September 2026
Panattoni has reached another major stage in the redevelopment of the former Honda manufacturing site in Swindon, with more than two million sq ft of speculative industrial and logistics space now either completed or under construction.
The developer has completed S920, providing 919,765 sq ft of warehouse accommodation that is available for immediate occupation. A further approximately 1.2 million sq ft is currently being developed across four buildings scheduled for completion during the second quarter of 2027.
The construction programme comprises S160 at 158,013 sq ft, S220 at 217,476 sq ft, S260 at 260,318 sq ft and S520 at approximately 522,000 sq ft. S520 is expected to complete in May 2027, while the other three buildings are scheduled to follow in June.
S920 represents the largest completed speculative element of the development so far. The cross-docked facility has a clear internal height of 21 metres, service yards extending to 118 metres, 125 dock loading doors, parking for 240 trailers and access to 7.3 MVA of grid power. Its scale provides immediately available capacity for companies requiring a major national or regional distribution operation.
The development forms part of the wider 7.2 million sq ft Panattoni Park Swindon masterplan, which is transforming the former Honda manufacturing complex into a major industrial, logistics, manufacturing and technology location.
Situated alongside the A419 and around eight minutes from Junction 15 of the M4, the park provides road connections towards London, Bristol, the Midlands and southern England. The combination of motorway accessibility, available power and the scale of the development is intended to attract large logistics, manufacturing and technology occupiers.
The new buildings are being developed to high environmental and energy-performance standards, with the specifications targeting BREEAM Outstanding and EPC A+ ratings. Rooftop solar installations, electric-vehicle charging infrastructure and other measures aimed at reducing operational energy requirements are also being incorporated.
Panattoni said the scale of its speculative construction programme reflects confidence in demand from companies requiring certainty over both building availability and delivery schedules. Developing units ranging from around 160,000 sq ft to more than 500,000 sq ft also allows the park to accommodate a broader range of occupier requirements.
The development has already secured a significant occupier. The Ministry of Defence has taken more than 545,000 sq ft at the park for its Uncrewed Systems Centre, including the DroneTEX testing and development facility. The UK government has described the operation as Europe’s largest drone testing centre.
The MOD letting also demonstrates the potential for the former automotive manufacturing site to attract uses extending beyond conventional warehousing. Defence technology, advanced manufacturing and autonomous systems could increasingly complement logistics activity as the wider development progresses.
Considerable development capacity remains within the Swindon masterplan. Alongside the speculative buildings already completed or underway, Panattoni has consented opportunities for additional large-scale facilities that can be delivered through pre-let and build-to-suit agreements.
With S920 immediately available and another four buildings scheduled to enter the market during the second quarter of 2027, Panattoni Park Swindon is moving rapidly from the redevelopment of a former automotive site into one of the UK’s largest active industrial and logistics schemes.
