Saluting former MPs and looking to the future - Swindon Borough Council Conservative Group Leader Cllr Gary Sumner writes for the Link

I was very sad to lose both Sir Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson as our MPs following the elections.

They have served this town well since 2010 and have delivered much for residents, including supporting the realisation of the Honda site redevelopment - with Robert reaching out to the Environment Agency when the deal looked close to collapse following delays in responding to the planning application. 

That legacy will bring a £1.2bn lift to our economy over the coming years.

I welcome Heidi Alexander and Will Stone as our new MP’s and I wish them similar success in serving our town.

Now that the General Election is behind us the focus turns onto our town and what will happen in the coming years (we don’t have local elections until May 2026).

Labour have made great promises about regenerating the town centre and we will work with them to support that ambition. However, in championing over 1,000 new apartments at North Star as part of the deal to ‘save’ the Oasis, they have made town centre re-development much less likely. 

Town centres across the country share the same issues due to online shopping and fewer people working in towns. Swindon’s recovery is made more difficult by low land values.

In May 2023, SBC were about to exchange contracts on a sale of a residential site in Kimmerfields. Here we are, well over a year later and that exchange has still not taken place. 

If the Administration want to see progress, they should now place the site onto the open market.

There is also the DMJ building, which sits nearly empty above the Brunel Centre. One cannot be redeveloped without the other – whether that is demolition or (much less likely) the unviable refurbishment of the tower.

Highworth Golf Course has been a contentious issue since its inclusion in the draft Local Plan in 2022. 

The site was withdrawn with unanimous support from Labour but is now back on the table with a proposed development of 700 homes and the vastly reduced remaining land handed over as a park. This U-turn has disappointed Highworth residents enormously.

Conservative projects completed: I was delighted to see two of our landmark projects completed in July. The new Museum & Art Swindon at the Civic Offices - the whole first floor is now devoted to a fantastic celebration of our collections and Swindon’s history. 

The second project was Moredon Sports Hub, a brilliant facility with cycling, pump track, football on 3G, cricket and bowls. 

Another great legacy to be proud of.