Page 6 - link magazine

6 swindonlink.com • July 2010
Battle commences at Ridgeway Farm
Developers want 800 homes. New government says people should decide
For years the Link has been publicising proposals to build thousands of houses on Swindon's western borders in Wiltshire. Now develop-
ers Taylor Wimpey Homes have revealed their ideas for the first phase of house building next to Peatmoor and Sparcells. But residents and
councillors in both West Swindon and north Wiltshire hope the government's promise to scrap the last government's regional planning policy
will allow a level playing field in the planning decision making process.
At a poorly promoted display "There are still another 1,000 MarilynKempshall from a
of the plans organised by Taylor houses tobe built in North Swindon Peatmoor said she was
Wimpey at less than a week's notice as well as 273 just agreed on the old worried about increased
at the end of May - in advance of Hreod Parkway school site, about traffic volume, the loss of
a planning application to Wiltshire 250 on the old Moredon primary green fields and increased
Council in July - the developers school site, and 200 just started at flooding by the River Ray,
claimed the 800 houses to the north Moredon Bridge. Then there is the particularly upstream in Ii
of Peatmoor will 'finish off' the Crest Homes proposal for up to Westlea.
western expansion of the town. 2,000 houses north of Priory Vale Kevin Fisher from Old
Ridgeway Farm was included at Tadpole Farm which is within Shaw Lane, said, "only pro-
in the 1980s master plan for West Swindon. viding a detailed drawing Taylor Wimpey strategic projects director John
Swindon but a planning inspector at "The Taylor Wimpey proposal is of how the development Aylwin listening to residents' concerns 00 26 May
the time limited the western devel- not welcome and I hope it can be could look is of little value.
opment to its present boundaries. stopped - but we rely on Wiltshire "The developer will design the Mollie Groom, Wiltshire council-
Now Taylor Wimpey proposes Council to make the decision." area in the best way possible to sell lor for Wootton Bassett East which
to extend Mead Way northwards David Socket from Sparcells said, houses - this is of zero consequence takes in Lydiard Millicent has set
into the green fields, turning Purton "my objection is fundamental - there to the existing residents. store by the coalition government
Road adjacent to the existing houses has been enough development in "The important issue is how it announcement that Labour's Re-
into a green lane. Swindon and there should be no will impact the people already liv- gional Spatial Strategy will be abol-
Swinley Drive will be extended more substantial building on green ing in the area and what they plan ished. "The communities secretary
north into the site from Roughmoor fields, full stop. to do to mitigate any infrastructure Eric Pickles has said the building
Village Centre - past a proposed one "The details of the scheme are problems. Taylor Wimpey provided of thousands of unwanted houses,
form entry primary school - to meet s^ . w m.,..y.,
the Mead Way extension. Illustrative Master Plan ^^ j
This area will contain 700 houses.
Another 100 are proposed to the Mo on Hill park ` 0 .., q^
north of Purton Road, between
the railway line and the River Ray,
with a junction on the hill close to
the railway bridge. (See Railway
shock story right). oa.^
This will be opposite the junction _
Rey
on the single lane road into the 200 ---- r
home Moredon Bridge develop-
ment that was started in March.
Thanks to volunteers coordinated
by councillor Keith Williams, in
four days over 2,000 homes were
distributed with a leaflet designed ° 3 Ilk More on
by The Link to raise awareness of * ^^ ^) ^^ ^^^ `^ _Bridge
the display. The information was , / development
also spread by e-mail. An estimated m»w^
500 people from West and North
Swindon and Wiltshire attended.
Coun Keith Williams said the spti> ils
Taylor Wimpey plans have tobe put Peatmoor
into a wider context. "Developers
cannot argue their plans are still
valid because the area was proposed irrelevant: a new road here, some absolutely no insight into how the especially in green belt land sur-
for housing thirty years ago. landscaping there does not hide the existing road system will not be rounding towns and cities, will stop.
"West Swindon is suffering mas- introduction of 800 more homes. overwhelmed and other aspects "Decision making will be re-
sive congestion and Mead Way has Commenting on the details just such as ensuring water pressure is turned to local councillors and it's
become the western by-pass for the gives the scheme credibility. maintained and sewageisdealtwith. heartening that the government is
town from the A419 to the M4. "Losing green space and farming "Frankly, the presentation was telling planning inspectors to take
land is crucially important a waste of my time and I ask the account of local concerns."
to all of us; once this land developers to set up another con- LesDurrantofDPDSConsulting,
is used it's gone forever sultation where they present their who prepared the Taylor Wimpey
- this is selling the family's plans to ensure the quality of life of Ridgeway master plan above, said
environmental silver on an current local residents is not nega- he was worried that the need for
outrageous scale. tively affected by this development. new housing would not be satis-
"As someone once said, "HoweverwithWiltshireCouncil fied. "There is a huge demand for
if you put lipstick on a making the planning decision, we housing nationally and particularly
pig it's still a pig. This is a should be worried that they will not in Swindon. Blocking development
monstrous pig of a plan." be much concerned with the effect is going to cause major problems in
on Swindon people." the future."
Keith Williams with Wiltshire
Taylor Wimpey has agreed to display the plans again
resident Amanda Heard at the
at Purton Village Hall on Monday 5 July, 4pm to 8pm
Taylor Wimpey display