Page 4 - link magazine

4 The Link Magazine • 1999
Your chance to help shape town's future
Swindon's people are being offered the opportunity to contribute their ideas to the Swindon Borough
Council's new Local Plan which focuses on the next stage of town expansion - after the northern
development is completed. And there are three more public meetings in May to put your views.
The Local Plan aims to ensure • regeneration of the town centre newsletter from the council, which
that there will be enough homes, • the new development to take defines what will be covered by
job opportunities, shopping and place between Old Town and the Local Plan and poses questions
-Distributors leisure facilities to meet everyone's the M4 as identified by the about it. Jane Graham from the
needed needs in the future. In achieving Structure Plan - the Front Garden Local Plan Group is urging people
this, development needs tobe'sus- • transport facilities to read the document and respond
for The Link* tainable', balancing environmen- • the siting of local business to it. "This is the first time the
tal, social and economic needs and growth council has produced such a docu-
providing a higher quality of life • protecting both the urban and ment so early in plan preparation.
Call Brian Holden
for all. natural environment The Local Plan will affect us all
at BHL on 723745 The Plan covers: • access for all and we want as many people as
1 3 years and over • the town's vision for its future • affordable housing possible to give us their views."
urban redevelopment • leisure and community needs A form is included in the news-
letter for this purpose and three
All households in Swindon public meetings in May are adver-
should by now have received a tised on the opposite page.

The Plan needs to improve quality, not quantity
PAPER FEDERATION
of Great Britain Jean Saunders, below, co-ordinator of Swindon Friends of the Earth,
casts a critical eye over Swindon Borough Council's public consulta-
Serviced Office to Let tion paper to review the local plan to the year 2011.
"The Borough Council must be
Approximately 320 sq ft congratulated for their new ap-
proach to town planning which
Papermakers House should ensure that more people
Rivenhall Road, Westlea, Swindon have their say about how the bor-
ough should shape up over the
Apply: Company Secretary next decade. Development issues
have been presented briefly and in
The Paper Federation of Great Britain Ltd simple language whilst common-
sense questions have been posed
Telephone: 01793 889602 to set you thinking.
Key points have been identified
such as growing traffic and loss of This is your golden opportunity
Find Out How Ambrose House countryside. Suggestions solu- to influence the decision makers
tions are: reducing the need to please don't waste it."
Can Help With Your Business travel by car by making it easier to Jean Saunders can be contacted
walk, cycle or use public trans- at Pear Tree Cottage, Longcot,
Telephone Answering port, and by encouraging more de- Faringdon, Oxon SN7 7SS
- Non-Residential velopment of derelict land and re- Tel/fax: 01793 783040
Business Support using empty buildings first. e-mail:[email protected]
Of course they have made as-
Serviced Offices sumptions that Swindon's 'Front
Garden will be developed by 2011. Hospital on the web
Private Parking
But this land may not be needed. Work on Swindon's new hospital
Secretarial Services The latest Government household at Commonhead has commenced
projections for England produced and developers Tarmac have set
Personal Assistants at the end of March show a drop in up an internet site to show off the
Conference Facilities numbers. facilities.
If the council now concentrates The hospital proposal created a
ISDN & Voice Mail on providing houses and jobs for huge debate between those who
Email & Fax Service local people rather than encourag- wanted it built soon and out of
ing large companies to move to town, and those who called for
Swindon and dragging in thou- PMH to be redeveloped or a town
Ambrose House Business Centre sands of workers from other parts centre site to be used.
You'll Wonder How You of the country who would far rather • Jean Saunders has written a view-
point on the new hospital at
stay where they are, then we might
Managed Without Us spare Swindon's countryside a bit www.swindonlink.com which has
a link to the Tarmac site.
longer from the bulldozers.
AMBROSE 01793 601600
HOUSE GM food meeting
Ambrose House
Swindon Campaign Against Modification of Food by Genetic Engi-
- - Milton Road
neering (SCAM) is holding a public meeting at Blunsdon Village
Swindon SN1 5JA Hall on Tuesday 11 May, 7.30pm to discuss the planting of a GM crap
at Lushill Farm, Hannington, near Blunsdon.
Fax. 01793 619243 This is the largest farm trial in Britain and SCAM want it stopped
E-mail [email protected] because there was no preliminary wildlife survey and inadequate
advance advertising. For details, call Sue Birley on 790438.