Old Town: Developer Phillip Brett from Woodley in Reading has had a good week in Swindon.

He had lodged two applications for permission to change houses into shared student-style HMOs, and both were approved.

Mr Brett has been given the go ahead to build a two-storey rear extension to 7a Hythe Road. That will allow him to create a seven-bedroom house suitable for 10 people to share. There will be an extended kitchen and dining room on the ground floor.

His plan to convert 178 Victoria Road to a six-bed house suitable for nine people to live in was also approved. This will see the three-storey building have bedrooms on the ground, first and second floors with a shared kitchen and living room in the lower-ground floor.

Planners at Swindon Borough Council gave assent despite the objections of South Swindon Parish Council, which said the shared living room and some of the bedrooms did not meet the borough council’s own size requirements.

The lower tier authority objects to plans to make more HMOs because it says there are enough in its patch.

Old Town: A pharmacy at the foot of the hill in Victoria Road could be converted back into a flat. The ground floor at 171 Victoria Road was originally part of a Victorian terraced house, and now operates at Jhoots chemists. Development company Argen Housing has been given permission to change its use and construct a two-bedroom flat on the ground floor.

Rodbourne: There will be no doubting the name of the new super church in Swindon. Everyone will know it’s called the Pattern Church.

The Diocese of Bristol is converting the historic GWR Pattern Store in Penzance Drive near the Designer Outlet Village into a modern mega-church.

And it has just been given permission for three signs, on the front and both sides of the listed building.

Its application said: “Both will be laser cut metal and painted dark green to reference the GWR green, which is used on all existing rainwater goods and cornicing to the water tank and other metal work in the scheme.”

The signs will be back lit at night.

Blunsdon: Five ‘cottage-style’ houses will replace a series of ramshackle sheds stables and a house in Blunsdon.

Tony Loveridge, who lives at Longfield on Kingsdown Lane, has been given permission to knock down the existing buildings.

In their place he can build five houses. He has been given outline permission only, so the size, number of rooms and design has yet to be decided, and must then get approval from Euclid Street planners. But Mr Loveridge’s application suggests they may be detached cottage style homes with garages.

Blunsdon Parish Council had objected to the scheme on the grounds that it was outside the settlement boundary, and that five houses was overdevelopment which would affect neighbours.

Wroughton: An application could be made to install a new solar farm to the south of Swindon at Basset Down Farm off Hay Lane. Bosses at the farm have asked Euclid Street planners for an opinion whether they need to provide an environmental impact assessment.

Such a request normally precedes a full formal planning application.

Hannington: A future Olympic gold medal could depend on a planning application lodged with Swindon Borough Council.

Guillaume Molhant-Proost, who owns Hannington Hall, one of the grandest houses in Swindon, has applied for permission to build a viewing platform overlooking a manege in the grounds – a horse training arena. He has also asked to be able to put up equipment sheds and a mucking out area for horses.

The application said he, or his wife will be training a ‘potential Olympic rider’ at the facilities at the listed property.