Thousands of people moved to live in Swindon and wider Wiltshire last year, new figures show.
Despite a significant difference in population sizes, both areas experienced a similar rate of growth.
From mid-2023 to mid-2024, Swindon borough's population increased by 3,657, from 240,218 to 243,875, marking a growth rate of 1.52%.
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During the same period, Wiltshire saw a nearly identical increase in population, with an additional 3,921 residents, taking the total from 519,779 to 523,700. However, due to its larger size, this represented a smaller percentage increase of 0.75%.
The borough council attributed Swindon's faster growth as one of the reasons for developing a detailed plan for housing new residents and allocating land for potential workplaces, including offices, factories, and shops.
Councillor Kevin Small, the council's cabinet member for finance who is also responsible for strategic planning, said: "Swindon has always been a growing town, ever since Brunel brought the railways in the 19th Century.
"We then became a spill-over town for London, and Swindon was later dubbed the fastest-growing town in Europe because of its fantastic location, so it is little surprise that we are still expanding today."
He added: "This is why, as a council, we need to carefully plan for future population increases and the development that will bring.
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"As a result, we regularly review and update our Local Plan, so that any new development is properly and appropriately planned. There are two good current examples of this at Wichelstowe and the New Eastern Villages, where we are ensuring that new roads, schools, shops, leisure and community facilities are brought forward at the right time so sustainable and attractive communities are created for local residents.
"We are currently in the process of updating our Local Plan in light of the most recent projections of housing need and we will be consulting with local people next month in the first stage of that process."
The updated local plan is set to be published for a six-week public consultation beginning in September.
In Wiltshire, Councillor Adrian Foster, cabinet member for strategic planning, development management and housing, said: "Wiltshire continues to see modest population growth, which is line with our long-term forecasts and our draft Local Plan, which is currently going through the examination process.
"However, there are many other factors to consider when planning for new developments than just population growth – for example, the number of people who are waiting for homes or the number of young people who are moving out of the family home and looking for somewhere to live.
"We remain focused on ensuring that new developments are well-placed, supported by infrastructure, and meet the needs of our communities."