Planning meeting for Ambrose Field to take place next week

Cllr Nadine Watts and Cllr Jane Milner-Barry have now had confirmation that the proposed development of 62 houses on Ambrose field off Croft Road will go to the planning committee on Tuesday 10 October.

The meeting starts at 6pm in the Council Chamber at the Civic Offices. Nadine and Jane urge as many people as possible to attend this meeting.

Cllr Nadine Watts said, “I really hope that the planning committee will listen to the concerns of local residents and stand up for the local plan. This is not about NIMBYism, it about protecting land that is not designated or suitable to build on.

"Despite the Council developing a Local Plan which allocated land where the required number of houses could be built, it appears that developers can effectively build where they like. Residents also had a number of concerns including flooding, drainage, loss of green space, impact on wildlife and impact on traffic.

"Local residents are incensed by this planning application. Marco Di Pinto from East Wichel has set up an on-line petition against this development. In a very short space of time there are 700 signatures.

"The petition can be found at: https://www.change.org/p/swindon-borough-council-don-t-build-on-ambrose-field. Please sign and share the petition."

Marco Di Pinto added: “I will be speaking against this application at the planning committee. This green area is not designated for house building in the Swindon local plan and is not suitable for construction, being boggy land with natural springs and adjacent to a nature conservation area.

"I have concerns about flooding and about the development interfering with the nature conservation area. This area is supposed to act as a rural buffer that prevents coalescence between Old Town and East Wichel, it was always meant to be a green corridor.

"Also, I have concerns about more run off water going into the river Swinbourne (Ray) and causing flooding in East Wichel: East Wichel was given a 1000 year no flood guarantee but the flood prevention studies were based on the fact that nothing was built on Ambrose Fields.

"Building on Ambrose Fields will increase the risk of flooding in East Wichel and at the bottom of Croft Road.”