Page 5 - link magazine

The Link Magazine • August 2003
Swindon town centre. Is it worth
bothering about? Part 2. The VNBEATABLE
In the July Link Peter Andrews, chief executive of Pi r e Carle
y
the New Swindon Company, asked if it is worth
regenerating Swindon centre.
Martha Parry, whose background is urban plan-
ning and community development work, and is
well known in the town for her voluntary work with
the New Mechanics' Institution Preservation Trust.
comments on the quality of community consulta-
tion and participation, and explains why we should
all look closely at the proposals now emerging. • [•XAM•] ••
Last month Peter Andrews com- consultation events with invited
mented on the drive to renew Swin- representatives of local organisa-
don's centre: 'If we don't then the tions and members of the Swin- —
town will die and with it the herit- don Civic Trust as a result of per- Wh p
age and opportunities for genera- sistent pleas for direct involvement
tions to come... What's your view? of local people. The Company's I I ? O 9iI)g
Let us know what you think could proposals, displayed for two days I l /4!Q
w
^ ^^^ as _£ o
make a real difference to Swindon." in the Brunel Centre, included some Z^
Die is perhaps too strong a word, ideas from those earlier events.
but it is true that Swindon's The Mechanics' Trust was espe-
economy could decline if appro- cially pleased to see a designated
priate action is not taken to con- 'Heritage Quarter,' and a proposal 4y ALL
solidate the growth of the post- to re-route through traffic from
war period. More importantly, the Emlyn Square, which was only in-
people of Swindon deserve the troduced in the 1970's.
pleasurable experience a fully de- However, there are several con-
veloped city centre can offer. cerns. One is the abject acceptance
Post-war growth of the town has of Bath University's plans to limit W ti
resulted in a huge increase in popu- its town centre presence to a 'cul- ^^ I'1 ^^ Z^^SQ°.k ^ I '
I ar 36
^^ m
lation, in a ring of suburbs; pub- tural' centre near the Wyvern. The ^ I ' 1 ^q0` " ^/^ II LbII—J
licly funded 1970's town centre University was invited to Swin- lIIlII has j 4se 1
a
shopping and civic areas; and the don on the understanding that it J E 4
i
salvation of the GWR Railway Es- would develop its facilities at
tate housing. North Star, not at the out of town 100%
The growth - both economic and Coate Water site. The Company
physical - was artificially'planned' and the Borough Council need to Z^ c PINE
rather than naturally 'evolved.' be pressed to stand up for Swin-
Q
/ ^ si tuft
World-wide, the 1960s and 1970s don over this issue.
w
were notorious for over-confident Another is the apparent wish to ( 1^ as Thai,
action and inadequate understand- exclude community sector organi-
ing of the complex social and envi- sations from the decision-making
I X49 Q
ronmental impacts of these often process. ^ ^^
heavy-handed interventions. Informing and consulting are not
Professionals were just not as fully nearly enough. Many studies of
informed as they thought they were. what makes for successful regen-
°^^^ a } ^ o^ a ^^/7 a
I have argued elsewhere that the eration show that the deeper and
o
things that need fixing in Swindon wider the community is involved, o ^y o Sr
are almost entirely the result of the better the results. The New
big-headed, poorly informed plan- Swindon Company Board of Di- moo' ^^^ tva 4it e A _,
ning since World War II. I have rectors does not include any com-
seen and been involved in re-dress- munity representation, let alone
ing similar 'own goals' in both display any local perspective based
Canada and the USA, long before upon 'grassroots' experience e
I came to Swindon in 1980. There- among its consultants and staff.
fore, I really need to be convinced The consultation so far has been I
that development thinking is now narrow and cautious, and the com- ktra /e
'joined up' and informed by the position of the decision-making
progress made elsewhere in the board has been and will continue •
past 15 to 20 years. to be challenged by local organisa- I
It IS crucially important to get it tions until it opens itself to local Huge choice of Cane • I
right in consolidating Swindon's participation.
growth NOW. Both the Mechan- Everybody in Swindon should
ics' Trust and the Swindon Civic seek answers to a few simple ques- Pine &Cane
Trust have been trying to collect tions: Who is going to decide what
and express local views to the New happens to Swindon Town Cen- High St 34 WOOD ST.
Swindon Company for the past tre? How will they decide? And centre
Pine a Cane a °l`s 0 OLD TOWN,
year, since the first directors were who will benefit? Ultimately, the
appointed. They have been lis- question in terms of community 3 nr` SWINDON
°ev'ZesR°aa
tened to in several respects, but in participation is: What are they I Tel: (01793) 535320
Victoria Rd ^ ^ Wroughton—^
some very important regards the afraid of?
. —Town ;„H EASY I OPEN : Monday to Saturday
prospects are worrying. Perhaps the next company board C eR e PARKING 9.00am till 5.30pm.
"
Museum
Beginning with the positive, the meeting could address this basic i n Old Town Sunday : 10.30 am till 4.30pm.
New Swindon Company held two question.