Unconfirmed reports are that Swindon Borough Council's Planning Committee has turned down the application to build on land near Coate Water.
Swindon Centric : A great big, massive hand to those who voted against the building, Councillor Dale Heenan, in charge of the committee, well-bloody-done Sir!
As Komadori has made clear, the decision to refuse planning permission for the area next to Coate Water shows how that a University on the site won't happen. But it appears the Secretary of State is quite taken with the houses idea ;
The Secretary of State agrees with the Inspector that… the appeal proposals have the potential to deliver high quality housing,… make a meaningful contribution to identified housing needs and are in a suitable location in principle for an urban extension. He gives significant weight to this factor.
It needs to be clear that Swindon Borough Council's objections were the ones that were agreed with by the Secretary of State, rather than the objections from the campaigners. They need to regroup and get ready for a new application for housing from another developer which is bound to come at some point and take any proposal to pieces and prod it in a forensic manner.
Swindon Centric Says ; Praise where praise is due, well done Swindon Borough Council on their work to show the holes in this proposal and congratulations to the campaigners.
Now, tomorrow's story will be the launching of a coherent plan by Swindon Borough Council to build a university within the town centre. Won't it?
Another week, another amount of policy fuzziness on the building at Coate plan.
First we were told that nothing would get built unless a university was to go with it.
Then we were assured the Council were in discussion with several universities.
Following the University Of Bath dropping out, a plea was given for any other universities which were interested to make themselves know.
The next twist was the comments made by the Great Western Hospital, which made clear it would not support development since the developers had not set aside enough land needed. They had suggested the GWH use land planned for an extended park-and-ride instead.
Not exactly an appropriate suggestion for an area meant to be a shining example of sustainability is it?
Then, the University Of The West Of England is believed to be in talks with the Council to build a campus at North Star. Bringing us full circle to the discussions several years ago of a town centre university.
Swindon Centric Says ; Just build it at North Star, if it's a failure at least we can still go back to Coate, the land will still be there. Won't it?
In a shocking and dare we say unique move, the attempt by the University Of Bath (which Swindon Centric reported earlier last month) has been officially rejected. The Bath University did have a plan with housebuilders for a Swindon Campus at the Coate Water site, but they hadn't considered Swindon's duck population.
A sit in protest was staged by the residents of the Coate Water Country Park lakes. Their forces were strengthened by allied troops of Swans and even Canadian Geese (currently on holiday) who joined the 24 hour operation which certainly sealed the fate of the Uni plan for the town.
The developers say they are 'bullish' on the opportunity to construct a campus with another education organisation.
Protesters say that the Coate area is an 'all duck' community and that the introduction of any bulls, of any kind, could upset the social balance of the area.
Joint duck and police patrols were walking and waddling the streets of Coate last night in an attempt to keep the peace.
The Swindon Centric Blog Says : If we don't fight them in the Bath, then we'll have to fight them in the shower!
