Information for residents and prospective residents of East Wichel
East Wichel, built on the site of Westlecott Farm, is the first part of the Wichelstowe housing development to the south of Swindon.
East Wichel has over 800 houses and flats plus a school, a few shops and offices and a pub.
By September 2011, over 400 homes were occupied. Marston’s Taverns opened a pub-restaurant in May 2012.
The community centre opened in July 2013. A dentist opened in the main shopping parade in November 2018 and a Co-op food store in late January 2019. A fish & chips takeaway joined in August 2019.
A feature of the development is that restrictions — the ‘Wichelstowe Design Code’ — imposed by the planning authority require most houses to have a different external appearance: no more than two houses in a row look identical.
The restrictions also require most houses to be behind a small railed front garden, whilst each parcel of housing must contain some larger houses, some cottage-style houses, and a barn-style apartment building.
A couple of other restrictions are that external TV aerials and satellite dishes are not permitted — so the whole estate is linked by fibre‑optic cable —
and, from October 2016, street parking has been forbidden in most places, though not strictly enforced.
The design code for the remainder of Wichelstowe is expected to be very different, allowing a wider range of building styles and materials.
East Wichel Community Association. Existed as an informal group from 2009, until formally constituted as a charity in 2012. The association also has a group on Facebook. Meetings are held irregularly but at least once per year. See our community association page for minutes of previous meetings. The community centre is currently closed in accordance with government guidance.
Unitary council for Swindon. Until the roads are adopted, services relating to streets (road maintenance, lighting, roadsweeping) are provided by Taylor Wimpey rather than the council.
Parish council for central and southern Swindon, including East Wichel but not the rest of Wichelstowe. Official name is ‘Central Swindon South Parish Council’ which everyone, including the parish council, think is unneccesarily complicated.
East Wichel Neighbourhood Partnership
East Wichel Community Group. A partnership of Swindon Borough Council, Sovereign Homes and The StoweAway. Replaced by East Wichel Community Association when that was formally constituted in 2012.
East Wichel Community Primary School. Opened in temporary buildings at Croft in Old Town for reception year children only, but moved to its new building in East Wichel from September 2011.
Rebranded public house opened Monday 15 November 2021, run by Marston’s as part of their “Your Local Pubs” chain. Originally opened as ‘The Bayberry’, a pub / restaurant, on 28 May 2012, in the Marston’s Taverns “Two for One” chain. From Monday 15th November 2021 open midday to 10 pm daily, with food served until 9.30 pm. Customers are advised to book in advance.
Dental practice with two dentists providing both NHS and private services. Occupying the unit at the Trevello Road end of East Wichel’s shopping parade, Unit A Staldon Court. Opened 5th November 2018. Open Monday to Friday for pre-booked appointments only but also offering advice over the telephone.
Food store in the main unit of East Wichel’s shopping parade, Unit E Staldon Court. Opened 9 am on Thursday 24th January 2019. Open 7 am – 10 pm Mondays to Saturdays and 8 am – 10 pm on Sundays.
Fish and chip takeaway in Unit D Staldon Court. Opened 4 pm on Monday 19th August 2019. Currently open from 4 pm to 9 pm Mondays to Saturdays and also 12 noon to 2 pm Thursdays to Saturdays.
Licensed restaurant in Unit C Staldon Court. Opened on Tuesday 4th February 2020 and changed ownership during 2021. Open 12 noon to 10 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 9 am to 10 pm Saturday; 9 am to 8 pm Sunday. Closed on Wednesdays.
Hair and beauty salon that opened in Unit B Staldon Court on 29 September 2020. From Tuesday 14th April 2021 open for pre-booked appointments only. Open 9 am to 6 pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 am to 8 pm Thursdays, and 8.30 am to 4 pm Saturdays.
Hair and beauty salon that opened at 16 Trevello Road in March 2022. Open 9 am to 7 pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 9 am to 8 pm Wednesdays, and 9 am to 5 pm Saturdays.
Ruby Lou’s Tattoo Studio
Tattoo studio relocated from West Swindon to Trevello Road in East Wichel in early February 2019. Reloated back to West Swindon at the end of May 2021.
Jessica’s Hair & Beauty
Hair (unisex) and nail salon that opened on 9 November 2013 in Trevello Road and closed on 1 September 2018, citing lack of customer parking as a problem.
The main housing developer at East Wichel. Taylor Wimpey completed house building and sales in the spring of 2017, and now only have the making up of roads to complete.
Other commercial housing developers at East Wichel:
Barratt and David Wilson are both trading names of one company, BDW Trading. Barratt Homes completed development and closed their sales office in November 2013. David Wilson Homes completed development and closed their sales office in May 2013.
Also known as ‘Wichel Management Company’. Leaseshold property company incorporated in 2009. Privately owned, despite describing itself as a “residents’ management company”. Previously based in Truro now part of Home From Home Property Management Swindon Limited. The company outsources management of its properties to agencies, previously to Chamonix Estates, then FirstPort, and more recently to Remus and to Estates & Management Limited (e&m).
Operators of the Number 11 bus service through East Wichel. The buses run between Oakhurst and East Wichel via Haydon Wick, Pinehurst, Swindon town centre, Old Town and Pipers Way. From September 2013 until January 2017 they operated the Number 15 bus service to East Wichel.
Operators of the Number 9 bus service between Wroughton and Swindon town centre via Middle Wichel, East Wichel and Old Town. From April 2011 until September 2012, they ran the Number 73 bus service through East Wichel.
Utilities
Full details of the ownership of the utility networks under the streets of East Wichel are on our utilities in East Wichel page.
Owner, operator and supplier of mains water and sewers in East Wichel. Homes in East Wichel are eligible for a rebate, as surface water drains into the canal and drainage ponds, not into the water company’s sewer. You will need to apply for the rebate: Thames Water do not give it automatically.
BUUK Infrastructure
Most utilities in East Wichel are owned and operated by subsidiaries of BUUK Infrastructure (formerly Brookfield Utilities UK).
Gas and electricity can be bought from any suppliers willing to do business with BUUK Infrastructure subsidiary Gas Transportation Company (GTC): this is all the ‘big six’ utility companies but not all smaller suppliers. For the moment, telephone, broadband and cable TV and radio can only be bought through the two BUUK Infrastructure subsidiaries and five other independent suppliers listed below.
The first suppliers of telephone & broadband services over East Wichel’s optic fibre network. From 15 July 2014 this is a trading name of Independent Fibre Retail Limited, which until 18 September 2019 was a BUUK Infrastructure company. Since then it has been owned by Sky UK Ltd.
The fifteen other companies that provide services over the fibre network in East Wichel are mainly small or micro companies. Full details are given on our utilities in East Wichel page.