Swindon Conservative Group Leader pledges to promote town

In his latest Swindon Link column, Swindon Borough Council Conservative Group leader reveals his delight and pride in improvements.

I was delighted to see spades in the ground on the £6.3m Moredon Sports Hub which will include a full-size floodlit 3G pitch suitable for training and senior and junior matches.

A 1km regional standard cycling closed road circuit with a number of internal loops and cross-over points – this arrangement allows for three separate groups to use the track at one time.

There are to be three football pitches and two cricket pitches and a new pavilion with changing areas, café and reception area. The Conservative administration fought hard for the funding to deliver this fantastic new facility, which will be completed next spring.

Also due to complete in July is the Southern Connector Road. A £40m fully grant funded 1.5 mile road which will serve around half of the 8,000 new homes in the New Eastern Villages’ and which will mean that local roads are not blocked with additional traffic.

It will also be used as the main construction access for the southern part of the development. It is a wide, tree-lined road and there are cycle ways and footways as well as habitat enhancements.

We secured £5m of funding towards the Health Hydro which (with £1.5m from the council) will deliver enhancements to the leisure facilities housed within the much loved building, repairs and maintenance to the structure and additional works to highlight the building’s historical features.

This will enhance a unique leisure and heritage attraction to draw people into Swindon’s town centre and aid in transforming the next steps in urban regeneration.

Alongside this, work is also starting this summer on upgrades to the Bristol Street and Sheppard Street underpasses into the town centre – again funded by £3m the Conservative administration secured from the Towns Fund.

It is great to now see the new face of the Carriage Works buildings facing London Street – for the first time we can now see into the building from street level and inside we have a range of businesses, arts and educational organisations including the Royal Agricultural University.

People have often asked what we could do with the Town Centre, and to be honest we can only affect the parts in public ownership, whilst creating an environment where businesses can thrive in a town with a reduced retail footprint and with more people calling the town centre their home.

I will always be positive - always promoting Swindon.