Page 8 - link magazine

8
The November 1994 Link front up in Australia and the area
page featured the Scotford fam- seemed so closed-in. But it's a bril-
ily who made history on 21 Octo- liant place to bring up a family;
ber by being the first to move into shops and schools are within walk-
Swindon's Northern Expansion. ing distance, and the opening of
It was predicted that the planned the library at the North Swindon
10,000 houses would be built in 15 Centre was great.
years. However only half have "My children love it, they can
been completed, so development just pop out to meet friends close
could be ongoing for another dec- by.
ade. "The uncertainty about second-
The first phase, Abbey Meads, ary schools has been very frustrat-
plus others close-by at Ash Brake, ing; many parents are cynical about
St Andrew's Ridge and Ground- Swindon Council. Right now we're
well are finished whilst house As the long serving secretary to that the association had served its applying for a secondary school
building continues to the west at the community association he said purpose, people had moved on and place and are even thinking about
Priory Vale. the first people were frustrated that dissolution was inevitable. Many moving house if we cannot get the
So, has the first decade lived up the fanciful claims of developers of the issues were taken up by right one."
to the public relations puff of of- were not forthcoming fast enough. Swindon councillors and indeed For the majority of the popula-
fering 'a new lifestyle for the 21st "The association got together to the committee's first chairman Ian tion the broken promises about
Century?' demand improvements and deliv- Dobie was elected to the Haydon secondary schools is the greatest
Earlier this year, the Abbey ery of services by developers and Wick ward and is currently the failure of North Swindon. Whilst
Meads Community Association Swindon Council. council's deputy leader. Abbey Meads and Catherine
dissolved, perhaps reflecting the "Roads, pavements, footpaths Rev Brian Sweetman, Minister Wayte primary schools, and since
fact that the area had and open spaces were at Christ the Servant Abbey Meads, last September Bridlewood, have
reached a degree of ma- not completed fast says people have much to be thank- all performed well, the failure to
turity and no longer enough. The developers ful for. "It is a lovely place to live in provide a local secondary school
needed an organisation would pass on queries for all ages; the shrubs by the side has resulted in much criticism.
to represent a develop- to the individual build- of the roads are
ing community. ers or the other way cut on a regu-
MikeWarr, right, and around and adoption lar basis, and at
his wife Jean moved seemed to take forever. night the light-
from the town centre to There are areas of open ing makes it
retire, attracted by the spaces and probably look like Dis-
plans for 'designer vil- some roads yet to be ney World.
lages' and the conven- adopted." "There are
ience of a new house. He acknowledged quite a lot of
parks for the
smaller chil-
dren, and some
basketball/
A place for families, Helen and David Prowting, with
football hard Joel, 10, Kirby, 9, Neve, 5 (Joel plays for PC Abbey Meads
play areas for which is sponsored by Priory Vale)
older ones. The
bicycle tracks are well used and For many years The Link reported
mx & 6cavwmx
appreciated and the blackberries Swindon Council's commitment to
in the hedges are really lovely to opening a secondary school in
pick. 2003. But cock-ups over the first
Turn your home 41 "It is such a shame that there is PFI bid to Government to fund
into a haven not enough space for pre-school new schools followed by the edu-
children; the church is well used cation department's failure by
With Miella ...
but cannot accommodate all the Ofsted has only piled on the anger.
requests by parents wanting to Some parents took matters into
start new groups. their own hands, found places at
r
f... t^ "There are lots of other groups Farmer's School in Fairford and
S
using the church and the commu- organised their own transport.
nity primary school - the scouts, Now some 150 children travel to a
guides, a slimming club, junior neighbouring education authority.
football teams, and many other ac- The second PFI bid was success-
tivities. On Sunday evening the ful and work is about to start on
I i North Swindon Baptist Church seven primary and secondary
meets at the school. schools, including a new Hreod
"We are blessed with commer- Parkway which should be ready
cial facilities at Abbey Meads vil- for September 2006. But in another
lage centre and the North Swin- blow to parents, because of intake
don Centre, yet have no bank and numbers, the new school at the
only one Post Office, which is not Priory Vale campus will not open
MieUa Kitchens authorised to deal with motor tax until September 2007, even though
Bathrooms or passports. For an area growing it could be ready a year earlier.
to 10,000 houses, this is not good On balance most people like liv-
1 7 High Street, Ord Town enough. ing in the Abbey Meads area. The
Swindon SN 1 2EG "Christ the Servant is thriving challenge for the next ten years is
and the spiritual life is blossom- how will a maturing community
1793 644600 ing." respond to the increasing require-
www.. ieIlakbb. o For Helen Prowting of Green- ments of all the primary school
wich Close, moving to Abbey children who will grow into teen-
Meads was a shock. "I was brought agers.