Wharf Green, Swindon

Woodscape’s challenge was to create innovative street furniture as the centre piece for the £215M regeneration project for Swindon town centre and to transform the area into a cosmopolitan public space.

The previous Wharf Green city-centre space, surrounded by under-trading retail, needed significant improvement to inject personality and a real sense of place for town centre and to encourage more visitors.

Woodscape created an iconic central seating planter for the Wharf Green scheme to complement the new events space and huge public screen. It was constructed from Naturally Very Durable Hardwood with stainless steel corner edge detailing to allow for use by skateboarders. A key requirement of the scheme to encourage a sense of community and belonging to all, so young people were not excluded from using the public furniture.

Wharf Green has now become an elegant and uncluttered public meeting space, adorned trees and plants, which is buzzing with activity, café life and has live events regularly taking place.

The scheme won recognition in the 2009 Civic Trust Awards and has played a major part in improving retail trading in the area. The success of Wharf Green helped to earn Swindon Council an extra £3 million of Government Growth Point funding.

Contact Woodscape about your bespoke street furniture requirements on 01254 685185 or email sales@woodscape.co.uk