Page 44 - link magazine

44 The Link Magazine • July 2006 Free classifieds now available
Could there be football in the forest?
22 July marks the second anniversary of a unanimous all-party vote at a full meeting of Swindon Council to continue to develop Shaw Forest
Country Park as a key component of the Great Western Forest, reaffirming a 1994 decision and protecting the area from threatened
development as a football stadium.
Now use of the area for football A car park was opened to en- reation area like Mannington with body. The are 170 acres for trees
of a different kind is being consid- courage more people to visit the short cut grass, white lines and and flowers; a 6 acre sports area
ered and Alan Hayward from area, but Alan is raising concerns goalposts. will provide an amenity for large
Sparcells, right, a leader of the origi- about a large open space in the "There is no supervision up numbers of people.
nal campaign to block commercial middle of the forest which has been there. I fear the forest is going to "The council has been ap-
y
development, is saying no to foot- graded and seeded by Swindon attract hordes of cha s with result- proached by youth football clubs
ball - again. Council as formal playing fields. ant litter, drink and drugs related and we have a duty to consider
waste. This must not be allowed to how provision for young people
happen." can be enhanced."
He points out that the Swindon
Open Space Audit says the town What's your viewpoint?
has adequate playing field provi- Should formal, organised
sion and the soon-to-be-closed Salt football be permitted on
Way Primary School has an excel- Shaw Forest or not? Let
lent football field that should be The Link know via:
made available to the public. publisher@ swindonlink.com
But Shaw/Nine
Elms councillor
Nick Martin, who
proposed the mo-
tion to support the
forest in 2004, says
the open space in
the park will be of
benefit to all. "It's
a question of find-
Since 2004 a further 10,000 trees He said, "the huge number of ing a balance of
have been planted on the former people who protested against a uses for every-
landfill site off Mead Way, includ- football stadium supported a for-
ing several hundred at a commu- est with trees and wildflower July 2004 after Szoin-
nity tree plant day in March; many meadows, an environment for in- don Council backed
thousands more will be planted in sects, deer and small mammals to the forest against a
later phases of work. thrive. We did not support a rec- football stadium

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