AN OLD Town mum has hit out at car park plans – fearing that it could bring hundreds more cars to her quiet road.

Twigmarket, who own the lease to Broome Manor Golf Course, have applied to build a 766-space car park along Pipers Way. The car park is intended for employees at nearby Nationwide Building Society, replacing an existing parking arrangement at Wroughton Park and Ride.

Mum Sheena Green said she was “really worried” about the plans. Her fears come after her daughter was recently struck by a country lane driver off the busy main road.

Sheena, 46, of The Fairway, said that the road would become even busier after the car park was built.

My three daughters all walk or ride along this road to go to school,” she said. “Already, it’s not ideal as there is no footpath. But with this proposed car park for Nationwide, the road will be even busier every day – especially in the mornings when myself and my daughters go to school.

“I’m scared about our safety if they build this car park, because people rushing to and from work will be even more risky for us pedestrians.”

The mum-of-three, whose two older daughters attend The Ridgeway School, said that one of her girls had recently been clipped by a driver heading to the Broome Manor Golf Course. The car hit her daughter’s rucksack.

Sheena said: “My daughters walk along there [The Fairway] and one day they said this woman drove up and hit the rucksack off her shoulder.”

She said that her husband had confronted the driver, who replied that she “didn’t even see” the girls.

Sheena warned that the car park would lead to the loss of green space and may have implications for wildlife.

To date, 31 comments objecting to the development have been sent to borough council planners.

The 766-space car park is one of three connected planning applications lodged with the borough on behalf of golf course giant Twigmarket. The company also want to build a new leisure centre and high ropes course on the Broome Manor site.

Last week, South Swindon Parish Council voted to call the car park bid in to Swindon Borough Council’s planning committee.

Parish councillors feared the cumulative impact on traffic of successive developments around Old Town and Wroughton.

Coun Nadine Watts said: “We need more information on the traffic flow. We’ve got to consider what the other site is going to be used for, because it’s no longer going to be a park and ride. It’s having that joined up, holistic approach.”

A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said: “The proposed new car park would, if granted planning approval, replace the existing Nationwide staff car park at the Park and Ride site. The parking layout, provision, site connectivity and traffic impacts associated with the new car park would need to be verified by way of a transport assessment and this will be checked by our highways team.

“Should the new car park go ahead and Nationwide move their staff parking to the new site, the Park and Ride site would fully revert to council management. The council will then need to decide whether to reinstate use as a Park and Ride site or whether to consider other uses for the site.

“No decision has been made on this issue at this stage and any change of use would require planning permission which would involve consultation. As part of the Town Centre Parking Strategy review, a review of Park and Ride strategy is also underway and this includes the Croft Road Park and Ride site.”

In documents shared with planning officers, architects working on behalf of Twigmarket said the car park – situated nearer the firm’s Pipers Way headquarters – would “contribute to the continued viability of this location for an important local employer”. They say the proposals would bring no new cars to the planned car park.