Page 11 - link magazine

swindonlink.com • November 2011 11
West Swindon Centre: 30 years later

First there was Carrefour, complete with its own on-site wine buyer, followed by Gateway Supermarkets, which was then bought by Asda
which in turn in was taken over by Walmart.
On 27 October the West Swin- At the time the ‘wild West’ of easy to reach attraction, convenient- on a street, but in the dry. We’re well
don Centre will have served the Toothill, Freshbrook and some of ly located next to Link Centre and positioned in the middle of West
western expansion of the town for Westlea didn’t have much in the Shaw Ridge Leisure Park. The free Swindon’s housing and people
three decades, the fi rst large scale way of facilities - areas like Grange parking has always been a draw. like the more intimate size of the
out of town shopping area built in Park and Shaw had yet to be built. Manager Stuart Tanfi eld said, centre. It’s easy to pop in before or
Swindon, having opened just fi ve Then The Link wrote: ‘Now we can “many visitors like coming to the after school for example and you’ll
years after the fi rst people arrived say nobody else in Swindon has a Asda superstore and also using the always bump into someone that you
in Toothill. The October 1981 Link superstore on their front doorstep.’ newsagent, pharmacy and travel know. I think the centre has served
looked forward to the superstore It also opened with a garden cen- agency because it’s like shopping the community well.”
with its collection of small shop tre which closed about 10 years later.
units under a cover mall. The centre quickly became an
Priory Vale ten years on

Wednesday 22 November marks ten years since Thamesdown Drive
was offi cially opened; later that week, on 26 November Asda Walmart
opened its doors at the North Swindon District Centre, to be followed
by the other retail units and community facilities such as the library
and youth centre.
In the months before the ribbon Six primary, secondary and
was cut on Thamesdown Drive to special schools have been built in
join the A419 to the M4 via West Priory Vale, plus a brand new Nova
Swindon, builders had been busy Hreod School which serves the area.
preparing access roads and laying However the glaring lack of
foundations for the fi rst homes shops, cafes, pubs, restaurants,
planned across the Haydon III de- community hall, medical centre
velopment, to be marketed as Priory and a community hall at Redhouse
Vale - spread across three distinct Village Centre promised in market-
areas, Haydon End, Oakhurst and ing material put out by develop-
Redhouse. ers Crest is a sore point amongst
Within a few months the fi rst residents. Early 1981, six months before opening.
people arrived in Redhouse. The Most of the sites at the centre have Note the absence of Link Centre and
development had actually started now been turned into housing and Shaw Ridge Leisure Park
a year late after Swindon Friends Crest are demanding a high price
of the Earth, following the 1997 from any pub operator who wants
election, managed to get the Labour to open there.
government to force the consortium Paul and Sheila Edwards, who
of builders to carry out a detailed own The Works Salon, the first
environmental assessment for the business to arrive at Redhouse are
area. It had been deemed unneces- delighted by their success. “I know
sary by the previous Conservative there is still a lot to do here, but we’ve
government when the Haydon III built a very positive relationship
master plan was drawn up some with our customers. The majority
fi ve years earlier. of people love living in Priory Vale,
It’s remarkable how much has as we do. It’s matured very quickly; 01793 613000
been built in ten years of rapid there’s a strong sense of belonging.
development. Most of the 5,500 • Read what North Swindon MP www.harmonybrides.co.uk
houses planned for the area have Justin Tomlinson thinks of Priory
been completed providing new Vale at www.swindonlink.com Devizes Rd, Old Town,
homes for individuals and families, • What’s your experience of living Swindon SN1 4BG 2012 BRIDAL
and developers are now hungrily in Priory Vale? Mail your views to: (Opposite the Arts Centre) NOW IN STORE
looking at adding a further 1,700 [email protected]
houses to the north at Tadpole Farm.

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