Arsonists target historic building (From Swindon Advertiser)
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Arsonists target historic building
9:00am Tuesday 19th March 2013 in News By Matthew Edwards
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The college
RESIDENTS are concerned about safety after an arson attack on the old technical school college building in Victoria Road.
Vandals struck on Sunday evening, setting fire to the entrance hall of the derelict Victorian building, and neighbours said they could see flames and smoke coming through the windows.
Two fire crews attended shortly before 8pm and were joined by police after it was found that the fire had been started deliberately.
A spokesman for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said that an investigation was under way into the cause.
Resident Toby Robson said more needed to be done to preserve the building.
He said: “There were a lot of residents out on the streets and people saying they could see flames, and I heard somebody talking about petrol and gas canisters being used.
“The security is non-existent – you only need to walk down there now and see that a door has been left wide open.
“Hoardings around the site have been missing for months and the building has been left almost completely insecure.
“A lot of residents are concerned about their own safety, with people squatting and needles being found in the alleyways.
“I feel disgusted that they appear to regard their duty of care to either the building, local residents, or the heritage of Swindon with such apparent contempt.”
Coun Dave Wood (Lib Dem, Eastcott) said: “This is a big problem – we know that arson is a big threat to our historic buildings, as we have seen from the Locarno.
“The security just seems to be appalling, it just seems to be open access. The local residents think the building should be celebrated but it could easily become another building that crumbles away like the Locarno or the Mechanics.
“It is something that I have raised with the council, and hopefully now this has happened they will take it seriously.”
James Digby, director of Ashfield Land, the developers who own the land, said work on developing the site was set to start in the near future.
He said: “We will be commencing very shortly with the re-development of the site.
“We have hoarding around the site and it is very frustrating but if people are determined to get into sites like the college then there is very little we can do to stop them.
“With the start of work soon hopefully that will stop anything like this from happening.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101.
Comments(9)
malctg
says...
12:49pm Tue 19 Mar 13
The Foureyed Poet.
Tim Newroman
says...
3:14pm Tue 19 Mar 13
They would be restored and/or transformed into landmarks to be proud of.
In Swindon they are left to rot. At best they become derelict and simply fall fown. At worst they are torched and destroyed manually.
Either way, they become striking symbols of the sickness this town seems to be suffering under. It is deeply disheartening.
Only yesterday we read of some otherwise cr*ppy bits of scrap land that the council owned and is flogging off to pay off some ex-workers.
Why, oh why, do they continue to sit on vast banks of land - useless and essentially worthless to the public (who, technically, *actually* own it) and yet allow these incredible buildings to simply degrade before our eyes?
Sell some land and put the millions into revitalising these buildings and let commercial operators transform them into something to enhance the town.
Any deals with developers should include stipulations that restore and worthwhile use of these buildings be mandatory, within set time limits.
And we don't want stupid 'community drop in centres', give us something worthwhile, that brings jobs and creates wealth and a feel good factor about this place.
No more excuses, no more plans, no more promises and no more talk. GET ON WITH IT.
Localboy86
says...
6:32pm Tue 19 Mar 13
Tim Newroman wrote:Why don't you put yourself forward as a candidate at next elections?
In any other town (and especially cities), heritage buildings such as the Locarno, Mechnics Institute and the old Technical College would have been considered jewels in the crown, important - maybe even iconic - elements of architecture and history.
They would be restored and/or transformed into landmarks to be proud of.
In Swindon they are left to rot. At best they become derelict and simply fall fown. At worst they are torched and destroyed manually.
Either way, they become striking symbols of the sickness this town seems to be suffering under. It is deeply disheartening.
Only yesterday we read of some otherwise cr*ppy bits of scrap land that the council owned and is flogging off to pay off some ex-workers.
Why, oh why, do they continue to sit on vast banks of land - useless and essentially worthless to the public (who, technically, *actually* own it) and yet allow these incredible buildings to simply degrade before our eyes?
Sell some land and put the millions into revitalising these buildings and let commercial operators transform them into something to enhance the town.
Any deals with developers should include stipulations that restore and worthwhile use of these buildings be mandatory, within set time limits.
And we don't want stupid 'community drop in centres', give us something worthwhile, that brings jobs and creates wealth and a feel good factor about this place.
No more excuses, no more plans, no more promises and no more talk. GET ON WITH IT.
Tim Newroman
says...
7:47pm Tue 19 Mar 13
Everyone here either votes Tory or Labour, doesn't matter who else stands, so it's a complete waste of time.
semitonic
says...
8:59pm Tue 19 Mar 13
malctg wrote:It's a case of council recruits who have no care or connection with the town cutting themselves into the finance cake then disappearing on to another 'consultancy' position without delivering anything whatsoever for the benefit of Swindon.
Once more a building that is part of Swindon's history is left to rot and be vandalised. Sadly it's a too familiar story. There is no intention to preserve our precious buildings. Already mentioned The 'Mechanics, The Locarno and The Hermitage'. Let's also include the Tabernacle and the Lawns Mansion that was allowed to get in such a poor state. Then was demolished! Many were listed but it made no difference to the local authority. It's a disgrace most other places embrace their history. Swindon just let it go! Most of it just becoming faded photographs! They need to start saving what's left before it's too late! But I doubt this will happen. It has become a town to avoid!
The Foureyed Poet.
Will it ever end.. will we ever see real value for money?
itsamess3
says...
4:28am Wed 20 Mar 13
Remnants of our history are lying all over the place. The large Goddard estate was home to some great buildings and the home of the nuns of Holy Rood and we also had the norman church that was ransacked and the stones used for other buildings.
We had a great town centre with shops that carried every kind of items and folk came from miles around.
Factories that produced some of the finest products--Garrards were world famous and even today their old record decks are still sought after.
Look at the place now-dereliction everywhere half empty trading estates-big office blocks empty-even the iconic Oasis was crumbling away.
What we need is councillors who act for the folk here--not puppets for their political masters.
Ifyoudontlikeswindon-move!
says...
5:59am Wed 20 Mar 13
What are the plans for this building ? Can I suggest this is decided when new buildings are proposed rather than just being left to become an eye sore and danger.
Tim Newroman
says...
7:13am Wed 20 Mar 13
We had a great town centre with shops that carried every kind of items and folk came from miles around.
You are Hans Christian Andersen and I claim my £5.
towny_gurl says...
9:46am Tue 19 Mar 13