Design Review helped shape a new civic leisure centre for Trowbridge, strengthening its relationship with the town centre, River Biss and surrounding streets.
The Scheme
The new leisure centre will provide a 21st-century, sustainable facility for the local community and a new water space.
The site is dominated by surface parking and highway space, with Bythesea Road separating it from the County Hall. The site sits across the river Biss from the historic town centre, with new development to the east and a colonnaded retail parade to the north and northwest.
Design Review
Design West reviewed the scheme three times before planning submission, providing an opportunity for the applicant and design team to test and refine the proposals as they developed.
The Panel focused on active travel, the building’s entrance and relationship with its surroundings, landscape and connections, the building’s architectural character, and sustainability.
The Panel’s Recommendations
The Panel’s advice focused on:
- prioritising walking and cycling;
- strengthening the entrance and connections around the building;
- improving the relationship between the building, landscape and River Biss;
- developing a stronger civic character; and
- increasing sustainability and future connectivity.
Impact
The scheme was approved at planning committee in December 2024, and construction is now underway.
The design evolved significantly through the reviews, with the design team responding positively to the Panel’s advice.
Work has now begun onsite, and the leisure centre is in construction as of December 2025. The building is estimated to open before the end of 2026.
The Value of Design Review
Three Design Reviews were undertaken prior to the planning submission, providing constructive challenge at key stages of design development and helping to test and refine the emerging proposals. The process demonstrated the value of early and iterative Design Review in supporting a strong vision and guiding it towards a considered and deliverable scheme.
The Council committed to the design review process and the scheme evolved and progressed in a very beneficial way – both in terms of design and how the building would respond to, and function with, the surrounding environment. The iterative process resulted in a stronger municipal building, sitting in the heart of Trowbridge and delivering much needed services to the public.
Photo credit: Wiltshire Council