Location

In February 2009 the Technology Strategy Board moved to new, larger offices, in a different part of the same building.

The Technology Strategy Board
North Star House
North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1UE

Contact number: 01793 442700

e-mail: enquiries@tsb.gov.uk

North Star House is located in Swindon, Wiltshire.

Swindon is in the south of the UK on the 'M4 corridor' between Bristol and London.

Directions to North Star House

By Rail

Visiting North Star House is best done by rail, as car parking on-site is extremely limited. Furthermore, the site is conveniently situated directly behind Swindon's train station.

Swindon is served by First Great Western services from:

London Paddington (1 hour);
Reading (30 minutes);
Didcot Parkway (15 minutes);
Chippenham (15 minutes);
Bath (30 minutes);
Bristol (45 minutes);
Cardiff (1 hour).

Road coach connections at Reading serve Heathrow airport.

Other train operators run services to Swindon from Oxford (taking around 50 minutes) and Gloucester (about 45 minutes). Please check travel times on the National Rail Enquiries website.

North Star House is directly behind Swindon train station. You should leave the station via the footbridge rather than the main entrance.

If you arrive on platforms 1, 2 or 3, you should be able to find the footbridge easily as the entrance is located between WHSmith and the underpass to the main entrance (you will not need to go down any stairs to reach it). If you arrive on platform 4, follow the signs to platforms 1, 2 and 3 and look out for WHSmith at the top of the stairs; you will see the access barrier to the footbridge immediately to the right.

Once you have crossed the footbridge and come down onto the road you will see Polaris House (the Research Councils' building) immediately in front of you. Turn to your left and walk along the road, continuing past the public car park and past the roundabout; the access road to North Star House will now be directly in front of you.

By road

Since parking at North Star House is extremely limited, the Technology Strategy Board urges visitors to use alternative methods of transport where available.

If you are travelling by road, we recommend you use a route planning service such as RAC's Route Planner or The AA's Route Planner. One of the postcodes you can use for North Star House is SN2 1JF.

North Star House is situated in an area called North Star - this is also home to Swindon College's North Star campus and the Oasis leisure centre. The road on which you approach North Star is a dual carriageway, Great Western Way (A3102). We advise you to enter Swindon by J16 of the M4. You will almost immediately join Great Western Way; simply look out for signs that say North Star and Oasis leisure centre.

If you arrive by other routes you are advised to look for signs to 'town centre' first, and then 'North Star'. See the table below for further information.

Once you arrive at the roundabout on Great Western Way for North Star, head in and take the road between the Oasis and Swindon College. At the end of this road you should be able to see the train station and the pay and display car park in front of you. North Star House is to your right.

On arrival at North Star House, please proceed around the building to the parking spaces at the right of the building, following the Technology Strategy Board signs. Please park in the visitor bays marked out in purple. If no visitors spaces are available please exit the car park and use the pay and display car park next to the station.

By air

The best airports to use when visiting us would be either London Heathrow or Bristol International.

From London Heathrow, you can take a Railair coach to Reading and then a train to Swindon. Alternatively, you could use the Heathrow Express, a train which takes you from Heathrow to Paddington, where you can then take a train direct to Swindon. From Bristol International, you can use the Bristol International Flyer express coach service to take you to Bristol Temple Meads train station; from here you will be able to take a direct train to Swindon.