Page 11 - link magazine

The Link Magazine. May 1996 11

The planner's perspective

Martin Trewhella had an oversight of West Swindon's development for most of the 1980s. As Principal Planning Officer
at Thamesdown Borough Council he has a leading role in the planning of the town's northern expansion at Abbey Meads.
Here he reflects on how the plans on paper have become a living community in the west.
The 20th anniversary of West Swin- The decision to plan 'urban vil- don do generate frustration and Swindon has been a conscious in-
don has coincided with the start of lages' which provided a commu- complaints. Town Planning is not put into the planning of the North-
development within the Northern nity focus around a local centre a precise science and mistakes are ern Sector with the first neighbour-
Sector (Abbey Meads). and primary school, does appear made. However, the continual rise hood of Abbey Meads being fo-
The mammoth amount of earth to be very successful with resi- of car usage is a universal problem cused on a local centre, central open
moving, mud and building of new dents proud to belong to Toothifi and unless we all begin to recon- space and primary school. And
roads and houses in Abbey Meads or Freshbrook or the other neigh- sider how we undertake journeys, the absence of footpaths along
reminds me of the start of West bourhood areas. matters will only deteriorate. roads such as Tewkesbury Way,
Swindon. I read The Link magazine regu- I don't regard West Swindon as combined with subways to get
Thinking back to the early days, larly and the vast range of commu- a 'test-bed' for future develop- pedestrians across major roads is
the first residents really were tak- nity groups, sporting and other ments but is is important to learn being rethought in the Northern
ing a step into the unknown and associations regularly featured from both the strengths and weak- Sector. There will be footpaths
must have felt like real pioneers; seems to confirm my 'outsider's' nesses of an established area. safely positioned behind verges
particularly as Toothill was rela- perception of West Swindon as For example, the merits of the and subways are out, replaced by
tively more remote from existing being a good place to live. 'urban village structure' of West pelican-style crossing facilities.
facilities when compared to Ab- 1986: Celebrating the first ten years, Planning Officer Martin Trewhella The 20th anniversary of West
bey Meads. with Link magazine publisher Roger Ogle, right Swindon is a good time for reflec-
I have never been a resident of tion. In just two decades the green
West Swindon, but as a town plan- fields have changed into a sub-
ner working for Thamesdown, I stantially complete township with
feel a strong bond with the place. 25,000 residents and over 10,600
It has been my job together with jobs. With the exception of a few
other colleagues, to recommend to remaining development sites at
our elected members how West Roughmoor, West Swindon has a
Swindon should take shape. distinct feeling of a settled and
Twenty years on it is fascinating maturing community.
to reflect on how well considered I can't help but believe that 25,000
the original master plan was and residents confirm that West Swin-
to attempt to assess which aspects don is indeed a safe, pleasant and
have proved either particularly convenient place to live.
successful or unsuccessful.
The original objectives sought to With the Link Centre, Lydiard
provide for 10,000 homes in a Park and Shaw Ridge Leisure Cen-
planned environment which tre, West Swindon also boasts ar-
would be safe, pleasant and con- guably the best leisure facilities in
venient to live and work in. The the town. I imagine that, on bal-
Borough Council has sought, and I ance, these are welcomed despite
believe, achieved a successful mix the significant volumes of night
of land uses with a greater amount time and weekend traffic they gen-
of public open space than in other- erate. From my perspective of hav-
wise similar developments else- ing to regularly taxi my teenage
where in the country. Its commit- children between Highworth and
ment to landscaping and employ- West Swindon, to the cinema and
ment opportunities have, I feel, bowling alley, it does seem advan-
proved notable achievements. tageous to have them on the door-
The 'grand plan' also realised step.
that it is the people who actually I would concede that the access
live, work and go to school in an arrangements to the cinema com-
area that really turns the bricks plex are not ideal and that traffic
and mortar into a vibrant and problems, particularly the con-
successful community. gested routes into central Swin-

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