THE Coate public inquiry did not go ahead today and has been halted for a week.

A spokesman for Swindon Council said that the inquiry sits on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but yesterday’s session was cancelled because the inquiry was ahead of schedule and that the week break had always been planned.

He said: “There was always going to be a week adjournment, but as this stage of the inquiry was finished early there was no need to come back this morning.”

The inquiry into Swindon Gateway Partnership’s proposal to build a university and 1,800 homes on land near Coate Water will resume on March 3 when the planning inspector will make a site visit and then there will be further round table sessions over several days.

Closing submissions are then expected on March 10.