Page 6 - link magazine

6 J&1I3 PUTTING PEOPLE IN TOUCH
IN WEST SWINDON
I imaine some people may be Link Centre and enabling people
surprised that The Link is cele- Playing an important part to campaign for better facilities
brating its tenth anniversary. or provision.
I know that some of my staff Jamie Robertson, Director of Economic and Social Development Community Development has
have expressed amazement that at Thamesdown Borough Council reflects on the contribution of also had the task of establishing
the years seem to have flown by. his department to the growth of West Swindon. community centres at Toothill
In fact several of them have been little imagined that a decade later in just 12 years, West Swindon and Freshbrook with local people,
involved in the 'western devel- I would be heading up the devel- has grown from farmland to a and the management of social
opment' ever since the very first opment side of the Borough large, vibrant community of over halls in Toothill (2), Freshbrook,
plans were drawn up and know Council. 25,000 people living in nearly Westlea, Upper Shaw and Shaw
the area well. Yet they read The The Economic and Social De- 9,500 dwellings, the magnitude Village Centre, where hopefully
Link with avid interest to get a velopment Group has several of the development is very clear. there will be, before long, a com-
'feel' for what kind of commu- arms spanning the physical de- I would argue that the various munity centre.
nity it is turning out to be. The velopment of Swindon and its planning, engineering and devel- Although the first people
Link is certainly the best way to development as a community. opment sections of the Council moved to the western expansion
find out what is going on. The Project Management Divi- have done a good job within the over twelve years ago, the devel-
I first came to know West Swin- sion has a coordinating role be- constraints placed upon us b opment of West Swindon will
don in 1977, visiting friends who tween council departments so factors such as Government pol-o - continue for at least another four
had moved out from central that land is developed in a rea- icy, icy, land ownership, financial years. Another 2,000 houses have
Swindon. The memory of mud sonably smooth and efficient resources and so on. yet to be built and whilst parts
and bulldozers is still vivid! I fashion. When you consider that

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Cfiangewear Shaw Village Centre - one of several schemes where Thamesdown Borough
Council has worked in partnership with private sector developers
The Property Services Division are very settled there are areas
has handled negotiations on all like Sparcells, in the very north of
of the land in West Swindon the area, which are similar to
which the Council has desposed Toothill when the first people
of for private house building. It moved in. Although shops and
also manages the Council's in- schools are within reach if you
dustrial and commercial prop- have a car, many of the original
erty portfolio, including its inter- pioneers would recognise the lack
ests in Hillmead, Westmead, of facilities, the sea of mud from
Riverniead, Blagrove and Delta building works and the general
Business Park. sense of isolation.
Swindon Enterprise, part of the Nevertheless, the most impor-
Employment Development Divi- tant factor in new development
sion, has the responsibility of areas such as West Swindon is
'selling Swindon' to business. the people who live there.
Because of its location, the range In terms of the development of
of housing and the quality of life a community it is still very early
that the Council has sought to days. The commitment and en-
develop for the people living here, ergy put in by you, the residents,
We have been very successful in is impressive in spite of many
attracting new companies in pressures which work against the
addition to the rapid expansion formation of strong bonds be-
of many of the already established tween people working together,
firms. collectively, to improve the qual-
Perhaps the part of the 'ES&D ity of their lives and their envi-
Group' that most people have ronment.
contact with is the Community The Council, despite the well
Your Local Cable Development Division. known and continuing financial
Over the last ten years the west difficulties it faces, is endeavour-
& Satellite Television Company team has grown from one Com- ing to play its part in that process
munity Development Officer to of building a living, vibrant com-
six full and part-time staff en- munity.
gaged in a variety of community I hope The Link magazine will
work activities. These range from continue to provide the vital
visiting new arrivals to the area, communication link - people to
helping groups of people start people - which will prove invalu-
new community groups in re- able to all those presently living
sponse to needs or interests, in West Swindon and all those
through to managing part of the yet to arrive.