Kevin McCloud sticking with £19m Swindon housing scheme

Grand Designs guru Kevin McCloud is sticking to his plans to build a £19m new housing development in Swindon despite the savage downturn in the market.

Fears were growing that the timetable for McCloud's plans to build a showcase scheme highlighting the best in modern design and construction had started to slip.

But the Channel 4 stalwart has remained confident that the scheme will get off the ground.

McCloud's company Happiness Architecture Beauty (HAB) was due to submit planning permission to Swindon Council in "late spring" ahead of a planned construction start this year.

A council spokesman said: "No planning application has gone in at the moment and we are still in negotiations with HAB about the scheme."

The project has been hit by a falling out with the original architect after HAB replaced designer Wright & Wright with Glenn Howells Architects following a row over fees.

An HAB spokeswoman said: "We are completely online with everything and champing at the bit to get the scheme started. We hope to sign the land deal with Swindon in the next few weeks and the planning application will go in soon after that."