Page 6 - link magazine

The Link Magazine • August 2004
SPANISH APARTMENT `The Story of My Heart'
FLORIDA VILLA (with apologies to Richard Jefferies but in deference
- COSTA BLANCA
to his autobiography of the same name)
Swimming pool
Sleeps up to 6 people In the December Link Jean Saunders of Swindon Friends of the Earth
wrote with passion against the development of a university campus and
Reasonable rates.
housing next to Coate Water, the green fields where 19th Century
Call 01793 700253 or visit:
Swindon writer Jefferies wrote so eloquently. Here she explains how
www.spain-holiday-apartment.co.uk she took her battle to protect Swindon's open spaces to public enquiry
into future growth for the town.
Available for rent
IMPORTANT The outcome of the public hear- childhood pals had a mock battle
Sleeps 8 - Large Pool
DECISIONS 15 minutes to Disney ing over two weeks in June will on the fields now under threat at
guide a government panel which Coate in the wonderful children's
£400 per week will recommend how Swindon novel written by Richard Jefferies.
C This 19th Century writer, born at
Tel: 01793 825378 and Wiltshire might accommo-
SOLICITORS date the next phase of growth. Coate, loved the area. Bevis, the
or view www.jonesvilla.com Swindon Borough and Wiltshire hero, and his team won - the leader
D County Council's preference is for of the other side ran away home to
Coate and east of the A419 trunk bed in defeat.
Carter Read & Dove road near Wanborough. Thames There are now about 7,500 sig-
Contact: Commerce House ii Water told us, in no uncertain natures on the petition against
34/35 Commercial Road Southern Spain - where the sun goes terms, that the Barnfield sewage building at Coate. I am sure that
Swindon SNI 5NS works is close to capacity. we will get many thousands more.
in the Winter. Over 300 days of blue skies,
where only 8 tol0 inches of rain falls a year There was much discussion and Can our growing army defeat
* Property Matters support for redeveloping the town the baddies whose only interest is
Commercial & Residential centre to make it an attractive place to feather their nests?
Conveyancing OFFER to live, work and play. • Jean Saunders can be contact on
* Employment OF THE /" I The last day of the hearing con- 783040 or foeswindon@hotmail
For both the Employer MONTH! cerned the University of Bath's pro- .com
and Employee posal to concrete over the land next • The Coate Water petition can be
* Wills & Probate Two bed semi-detached bungalows to Coate Water for their campus found at at www.savecoate.org.uk
Efficient administration of in a country club setting, 15 minutes along with Persim-
a loved one's estate from beach resorts from under 73K mon and Redrow
Homes, who threat-
Call our Swindon office tel/fax:
Tel: (01793) 617617 ened to take the Panel
01793 704 089 or 00 3466 1140 481
E-mail: [email protected] to the High Court if
[email protected] or viiiaslinspalp,
Website: www.crd.org.uk www.villas-in•spain.biz they were denied per-
mission to build 2,000
houses.
This was the first
time I had heard any-
one from the Univer-
sity of Bath spell out
their plans for Coate.
It is abundantly clear that their
entire vision is nothing to do with Why does Swindon
helping the residents of Swindon.
It is all to do with big business and need a university?
their wish list for achieving an in- It's the question put in a newslet-
ternational image and attracting ter published by the University
investment. It seems that the Uni- of Bath which should have ar-
versity doesn't want to despoil his- rived in every home in Swindon
toric Bath's rural fringes in order in early July.
to expand their campus at Bath, It explains the benefits of a uni-
yet it seems more than content to versity to the town, which nobody
do just that next to Swindon's best could disagree with.
loved jewel in the crown. It also puts the case for siting it
I have nothing but praise for the on the green fields next to the Great
planning inspector and chairman Western Hospital at Coate.
of the panel who conducted the The university plan to have an
inquiry. They were very fair to all institute for Contemporary Inter-
sides yet asked provoking ques- disciplinary Arts in the town cen-
tions to test assumptions and state- tre as part of the proposed 'cul-
ments made by participants. The tural quarter' but claims there is
panel hope to publish their recom- not enough land to build a univer-
mendations in the autumn. sity in one town centre location. It
But now I fear the worst for maintains that several town centre
Coate. It is always big money that sites would not be financially vi-
talks - but you can't put a price on able.
environmental, wildlife and spir- But then it would not be when
itual matters that are regarded as there is free land on offer from
worthless in financial terms, but development companies Persim-
which contribute so highly to a mon and Redrow, in return for
healthy state. permission to build 1,800 houses.
But we battle on. Richard Details can be found at
Jefferies' character Bevis and his www.bath.ac.uk/ swindon