Page 4 - link magazine

The Link Magazine • May 2003
The future for Swindon: your opportunity to influence the next stage
Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire County Council are jointly revising the Structure Plan to guide development in both Swindon
Borough and the rest of Wiltshire up to 2016. This review will affect Swindon's community in many different ways and it is important that
you become involved and participate in this review to make your views heard, writes Mark Newey from Swindon Council's planning
department.
The two councils cannot choose of employment land. issues which have to be assessed of as many people as possible re-
'to do nothing.' They have to plan A key part of this exercise is to including biodiversity, transport, garding Swindon's future growth.
for the future needs of both the look inwards at existing urban ar- flooding and coalescence. A corn- A consultation exercise is taking
borough and the county, specifi- eas, maximising the contribution prehensive range of constraints place between 28 April and 9 June
cally for new houses and addi- from brownfield land (previously surrounding Swindon will be where you can air your views at
tional employment land. This is developedland).Onlythen,whilst evaluated to determine the most the following venues:
necessary to meet the requirements respecting existing residentsqual- sustainable direction of future • Town Hall, Chippenham
of the recently published Regional ity of life, will greenfield land be growth. This evaluation is a fur- Tuesday 29 April, 2pm - 9pm.
Planning Guidance to 2016 and to considered for development. ther opportunity for you to influ- . Steam Museum, Swindon
ensure that there are up-to-date Deciding where future green- encethefuturedirectionofgrowth Friday 2 May, 1pm - 9pm &
policies in place to guide future field development will occur is for Swindon. Saturday 3 May, Ham - 3pm.
development, never an easy task. There are man y The two councils want the views
Regional Planning Guidance • Guild Hall, Salisbury
identifies 'Principal Urban Areas,' Wednesday 7 May, 2pm - 9pm.
essentially the eleven largest towns - `°-.^- ' Copies of a consultation docu-
and cities in the South West, as the — ,. I ment can be obtained from either
most sustainable locations to ac- '-_=-•^^'^." - "•' Structure Plans, Wiltshire County
g
r^
commodate futurerowth. As ^ ` Council, County Ha ll, Trowbridge,
Swindon is the only Principal Ur- ; R -- ^l BA14 8JD, or Forward Planning,
Swinon Boroug
banAreainWiltshire,themajority 4, T c. om~ Swindon Borough Council, Pre-
rowth for the cou
of future growth nty "' r{« 1 i. .* , mier House, Station Road, Swin-
will be focused at Swindon and its i'^ .^ ' r 1 ( ^^ ` t ^^^ ^f^{ k±^ don SN1 1TZ, tel: 466031, mail:
surroundings. This could include ) r i 19 , `:-" i t ^: ^! [email protected]
parts of North Wiltshire District, ^,, w They are also available at librar-
forexample Cricklade, Purton, th , i i t . ies throughout the county.
Lydiards and Wootton Bassett. • Swindon's biodiversity: Neil
The two councils are currently r ' Pullen of the Wiltshire Wildlife
looking at how best to accommo Trust describes the work over the
date the anticipated growth levels ry^ -• - last six months to map the town's
for the Swindon area, currently I i e 41 - environment - see page 37
estimated at about an additional Already committed but not assured (see below): an impression of one of the • Quality of Life Awards - see
1,900 new houses and 50 hectares developments in the Front Garden, due to start at the end of 2004 page 36.
Front Garden action group still active and in need of support
During the five recent develop- Some say 'surely it's all over,' our Flooding alone should have which has been going on for over
ers' exhibitions in Wroughton, the answer is an equally resounding'No.' caused the council, the Environ- six years, is for the developer to
civic offices and Old Town (all At every opportunity our com- ment Agency, and the potential produce a plan to the council, suit-
attended by representatives of the mittee have challenged the coun- developer to have ruled out build- ably amended to reflect public and
Front Garden Action Group - cil, the developers and their con- ing on this ground which for over official views.
FRAG) many people asked us sultants on the critical factors, 100 years has been known to be This will be done by about late
whether we are still fighting which, if common sense and logic boggy and to flood over wide ar- May and will be followed by an-
against the development of 4,800 prevail, could yet stop this ill eas. After even moderate rain for a other six weeks public consulta-
houses on the Front Garden, judged development, namely day or two areas well outside the tion. That period will give every-
writes Terry King. flooding, noise, traffic, wildlife, ar- acknowledged 100 year floodline one a chance again to state their
The answer is a resounding'Yes'. chaeology and health. can be two or three feet under views strongly.
water, and after really heavy rain Don't leave it all to FRAG. In the
h t e land becomes a lake in many end it will be public pressure (and
parts. a few more floods!) which will stop
The next stage in this sorry saga, this environmental disaster.
the link Magazine
Abbey Meads organisation up and running again
ublished by
The people of Abbey Meads have a fully functioning community
windon Publications Ltd.
association again.
apermakers House, Westlea Following a poor attendance at volved. Newly elected chairman
windon SN5 7BD its AGM in the autumn, the asso- Mike Warr described the meeting
el: (01793) 872282 ciation suspended activities over as 'quite successful.'
ax: (01793) 878189 "The Link was first published for the West' the winter, though its newsletter Immediate intentions of the as-
[email protected] Swindon community in December 1978. Abbey Chat continued. sociation are to extend the distri-
It is completely independent of Link Centre At a reconvened residents' meet- bution of Abbey Chat into new ar-
www.swindonlink.com
and, intact, won a competition to name the ing in early April, a quorum was eas like Ash Brake and St. An-
Roger Ogle leisure centre in 1984. Distribution in North achieved,newofficerswereelected drews Ridge and to explore the
Tel: (01793) 872282 Swindon commenced in January 1994." and some 18 people expressed an possibility of forming a social
interest in becoming directly in- group for active seniors.
The contents of The Link are protected
by copyright. Use of advertisements in
printed or electronic form is forbidden Shaw people hold annual meeting
unless an advertiser or publisher has Shaw Residents' Association holds its annual general meeting on
sought permission. Articles and photo- Monday 12 May, 8pm, in the Village Inn, Shaw Centre.
graphs require similar authority
All residents of Shaw, Rain leaze and Nine Elms are invited to attend.
For details call Steve Brown on 339729.