Page 8 - link magazine

Community News
8 swindonlink.com n December 2016
NW December 2016 Master Pages.indd
Former council leader says Lower Shaw Farm
is important to the town’s cultural landscape
The November Link looked back to
2006 when Swindon Council came
up with the idea to reclaim and
repurpose Lower Shaw Farm on Old
Shaw Lane for executive housing,
after 30 years as a community and
cultural hub in the town.
A campaign stood up to the
council and after five years of slow
negotiations a 25 year lease was
agreed with farm tenants Matt
Holland and Andrea Hirsch so that
they could continue its work.
Reflecting on his role, former
council lead Rod Bluh said: “It all
kicked off when a group of people
in the council believed the farm From the January 2007 Link,
was being subsidised and receiving Becky Doyley at Lower Shaw
preferential treatment. To a degree
I saw their point but didn’t want all the decision making of agreeing
to see Lower Shaw Farm closed a lease. My firmly held view was
because it is part of a much bigger that Lower Shaw Farm is not about
picture in the town. the money; it represents a value to
”I also thought it was not our town which has to be quantified
politically clever to create a in different ways.
fight about a facility that was so ”I accept Lower Shaw Farm is
obviously well supported by the not for everybody but we all need
community - in Swindon, all over different things in life; I’m glad
the country and abroad, from the I’ve been part of keeping alive
range of emails I received. something which is unique to
”I’m really pleased by the way Swindon.”
things turned out, even though it Discover more at:
took a long time to work through www.lowershawfarm.co.uk
8 17/11/2016 18:03