Swindon Engages - Council Stunned - Bloggers Delighted

The huge response received by Swindon Borough Council on the Core Strategy has stunned the Council.

After the extension of the deadline for consultation, a flurry of late submissions on Coate were expected, but nothing on this scale. The majority areas that will have been received will concern the Tadpole Farm development, the Coate Water area development and the Eastern Development Area. The EDA will be an interesting one to follow as some of the Swindon ruling Conservatives jumped on the scaling-down of the proposed housebuilding numbers for that area as a political win, when it's actually a small reduction in the number of houses to be built. Indeed it was a two-faced spectacle to see some councillors appose house building of a hundred or so houses next to Lydiard Park whilst shrugging shoulders about housebuilding at Coate and in the EDA (all that happened around election time last year, no connection of course).

Now the real work will begin, with a redrawing of the planning of the town up until 2026, when this Core Strategy covers and many of those 'well, isn't a shame we can't save this countryside' councillor shrugs get thrown-out with this public response.

Swindon Centric Says ; Elections of every single Swindon Borough Council seat happens next May, it'll be interesting to see how councillors who've got involved in planning decisions change, disavow or forget what they said as the planning landscape politic has changed beneath their feet.

The Need For An Extra-Large Swindon

The need for a rolling programme of building work on all edges of the town has been reenforced with the consultation on the Eastern Development Area.

Never mind about the houses still being built in North Swindon, or the lonely looking few houses in the very green Front Garden, lets get strategised for constant growth up to the middle of the century.

Swindon Centric Says ; The consultation ends on the 15th of June, so if you wish to, make your voices heard.

Social Discrimination Comes Full Circle As Pensioner Arrested For 'Looking Shifty'

Today in a victory for teenagers and anyone below working age, a pensioner in Swindon Town Centre was stopped and questioned by police after drawn attention by hanging round outside Marks And Spencer and 'looking shifty'.

'' Too often it's us who are stopped and told to move on, just because we're hanging out and pensioners feel threatened and think we're all about to nick their hangbags. Todays move see's some of that ignorance being redistributed. We all think it's great.'' This comment came from Charlie Dawes, 16 of South Marston, who has been celebrating with his mates as the police said they'd have a policy of 'equality through discrimination' in the town centre. This means any pensioners congregating in groups of three or more who be asked to move on, if they refused they would be taken into custody and warned.

The police hope to have a Anti Social Behaviour Order in place for over 60s by the end of the month. The area of the ASBO will be bounded by M And S in the Brunel Centre, Boswell's in the Brunel Arcade, BHS in Bridge Street and as far north as those charity shops near the Tourist Information Centre where you can pick up a right bargain and get rid of those Catherine Cookson paperbacks you've read to death. The area already bans the consumption of alcohol and police have said they will be firm and severe on those who break the rules, including the elderly.