12,000 homes plan faces opposition (From Swindon Advertiser)
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12,000 homes plan faces opposition
11:50pm Thursday 16th July 2009 in
GOVERNMENT plans to build 12,000 homes to the east of Swindon have run into their first hurdle after councillors opposed the scheme.
Most members took the view last night at the Civic Offices, Euclid Street, that the council should follow the lead of some 1,300 residents who wrote letters of opposition to the Eastern Development Area (EDA) and try to stop the plan in its tracks.
Councillors also agreed that the council should attempt legal challenges to the overarching document, called the South West Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), which is currently in its draft stages and calls for 36,000 homes, including the 12,000 in Swindon, to built throughout the south west.
Both the Tories and the Lib Dems claim that some of the plan’s missing ingredients include appropriate infrastructure like roads, schools, hospitals and other community facilities.
Many residents also feel the scheme is too large for the proposed land – which lies east of the A419.
Councillor Russell Holland (Con, St Margaret) said: “People are very concerned about this project and we are saying they are right to be concerned about it.
“We do agree that some development is necessary but it is the scale of this development that we do not like.
“There are a huge number of homes involved in this scheme but there is no money set aside for infrastructure.
“How will all the roads, which are expected to transport thousands of new residents, be paid for?
“We would like the Government to stop and look at it again in light of more than a thousand residents’ concerns.”
He added that St Albans District Council has been able to stop part of its version of the strategy through legal challenges.
Councillor Rod Bluh said: “The RSS is a flawed policy by any definition, there are expected to be 37,000 houses with no promise of infrastructure whatsoever.
“The RSS is a top-down policy and social engineering at its worst.”
Councillor Phil Young said: “Nothing should be imposed on councils. This is too big and hasn’t got the infrastructure. The RSS should not be supported.”
However councillor James Grant (Lab, Western), who opposed the motion, said: “This plan will deliver much needed affordable housing to Swindon.
“We should be trying to make sure that the development is eco-friendly and includes green technology – we should back this development for the future of Swindon.”
Letters will also be written to both Swindon MPs to ask for their support in backing the motion. All Labour members present voted against the motion, other than Councillor Junab Ali (Lab, Central), who abstained from the vote.
Comments(18)
swindonistani
says...
9:18am Fri 17 Jul 09
For the love of God, can we please have a general election and get rid of these incompetents!
Bobby Bee
says...
9:19am Fri 17 Jul 09
Over 150,000 of us live in the town already.
Why not try to up the quality of life for those people instead of trying to take away land, reduce green space and generally make the town an area merely to pass through on the way to more attractive places such as Bath, Cirencester and Oxford?????
vics mum
says...
9:34am Fri 17 Jul 09
After all they are the one,s with all the money.
Lets build,build,build.We need houses to lower the overpriced one,s we have at the moment. All done buy greed estate agents.
vics mum
says...
9:38am Fri 17 Jul 09
Councillor Philip Young
Title: Cabinet Member for Culture, Regeneration and Economic Development
Are you sure your in the right job Phil.
Whats your plan, or dont you have one
vics mum
says...
9:42am Fri 17 Jul 09
However councillor James Grant (Lab, Western), who opposed the motion, said: “This plan will deliver much needed affordable housing to Swindon.
“We should be trying to make sure that the development is eco-friendly and includes green technology – we should back this development for the future of Swindon.”
but he opposed it, because he was told to. How very democratic and what great justice he does for those who voted for him.NOT
Ardiles
says...
10:35am Fri 17 Jul 09
I am not against further expansion per se, but I am against further expansion without massive (and long overdue) investment in infrastructure.
I am not holding up Reading's IDR as a masterpiece of urban planning, but it has certainly added capacity to that town's infrastructure and made the expansion and development of its town centre possible. Something similar was required in Swindon as long ago as the 1980s, but it never happened. The town is now paying for that, as thousands of Swindon residents leave town every weekend to visit shops and theatres in Reading and Bristol.
There needs to be a radical re-think as to how Swindon's transport infrastructure can be taken forward before any further large scale development can be considered. Build the foundations first, then the house(s).
Jo-Ent
says...
11:43am Fri 17 Jul 09
It's another nail in the coffin for our Labour MPs; hence Cllr Ali, who desperately wants to be an MP, split from his party to try and salvage something from the wreckage. Too late - he, and the rest of the Labour councillors, are finished.
vics mum
says...
12:10pm Fri 17 Jul 09
You are right, but we did have the oppertunity and it was wasted.
Just a few short years ago the council sold the Brunel Shopping Center for 90+ million.
We were asked via this paper what we wanted with the money. Very democratic. Some cynics thought it would be wasted on crazy scemmes like more roundabouts, tree planting,s or,well you think of something stupid and we thought about it.
The truth is the council decided to top up it,s pension fund. For the ever growing final saleried staff. Yes I know it,s the one we cant afford to pay but our leaders know better.
It could have built a hospital for 70mill and leased it back to HM.Gov for 35mil per year as at present.
But hey what do we know.
We could have invested it in sustainable houses, but hey I dont know what that is.
We could have bought all the land in the town center under the much needed slum clearance and boilt a proper shopping center with free/low cost parking. But Hey what do I know about parking. I have free parking anywere so I dont care anyway. I can drive to Reading in less time than it takes to get into Swindon Center and hobble to the shops with nothing in them, crap last years garments, and pound shops.
Asda/tesco/sainsbury
s a better bet for my grocery money.
Let Asda buy the land, develop it with shops and houses and the council gets the rateable value. I also like the idea of another large Asda on the East side of town. It would help reduce the trafic into Swindon
vics mum
says...
12:21pm Fri 17 Jul 09
Both the Tories and the Lib Dems claim that some of the plan’s missing ingredients include appropriate infrastructure like roads, schools, hospitals and other community facilities.
Now for the first person to answer I will give a Mars bar, in person.
Where is the development.
Where is the nearest Hospital. (Within a few hundred Meters.)
Please dont guess the answer as this may confuse the Liberals/Tories
Thanks to Ali for not voting. If you dont wanna vote resign Tw*at
carleah
says...
12:46pm Fri 17 Jul 09
ifuwantblood
says...
12:57pm Fri 17 Jul 09
Run out of medication vics mum?
swindonistani
says...
1:04pm Fri 17 Jul 09
ifuwantblood wrote:come on why getting personal? just comment on the article for christ sake, it is a good story and there is plenty to say.
Looks like swindonistani has some competition today. Run out of medication vics mum?
But maybe that our comments hurt your labour conscience?
you are quite entitled to be a labour supporter, after all 8 millions+ of you guys live thanks to labour communist economic planning.
vics mum
says...
1:05pm Fri 17 Jul 09
swindonistani
says...
1:08pm Fri 17 Jul 09
vics mum wrote:youd think that after last year summer rains that our council would have prepared the town for such repeats!
No it,s raining so I,m waiting for an accident to happen so i can go and help.:)
I guess lives will be lost/endangered again because of the incompetence of the geriatrics seating comfortably at the Council board. I think any victims accident due to the poor road conditions, should start civil proceedings against Swindon town and its road maintenance managers.
swindonborn1979
says...
1:58pm Fri 17 Jul 09
t the council be building more council houses to house the huge amounts of people on the housing lists that are homeless or in need of larger properties?
Carleah, I can understand why some homeless people may need Council accommodation, but I don't understand you saying that the Council should build bigger houses for people who would like them. Yes times are tough so it can't be right for the government to take money of people who are working to pay for bigger homes for those who are not.
vics mum
says...
5:16pm Fri 17 Jul 09
swindonborn1979 wrote:Swindonborn.
shouldnt the council be building more council houses to house the huge amounts of people on the housing lists that are homeless or in need of larger properties?..with this recession more and more people are loosing their homes and turning to the council for accomadation!shouldn t the council be building more council houses to house the huge amounts of people on the housing lists that are homeless or in need of larger properties? Carleah, I can understand why some homeless people may need Council accommodation, but I don't understand you saying that the Council should build bigger houses for people who would like them. Yes times are tough so it can't be right for the government to take money of people who are working to pay for bigger homes for those who are not.
You are incorrect in thinking that we shouldn’t build council owned houses.
I lived in one and was able to save a deposit for the big one. In fact my first mortgage was through the council. As in fact did many people, Council leaders at that time, if you remember being from Swindon , opposed everyone from buying council houses, made it difficult for those who applied and bought all the best houses for themselves. TRUE
I also helps those less unfortunate(Inglish one’s) to stop them falling into the hands of unscrupulous landlords, many of which are now our Asian cousins, who would leave many wishing they could live in a black hole like Calcutta.
BUILD MORE HOUSES.
Not like the slums in pinehurst but like Like the one,s in Liden. 3beds, a bit of garden and space for the kids to grow and play.
vics mum
says...
5:19pm Fri 17 Jul 09
carleah wrote:You are correct in your thinking.
shouldnt the council be building more council houses to house the huge amounts of people on the housing lists that are homeless or in need of larger properties?..with this recession more and more people are loosing their homes and turning to the council for accomadation!
Put your name down for a councilors job, tell all your mates what your going to do and you,ll get a very well paid job and the chance to do something usefull for the comunity.
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swindonistani says...
9:15am Fri 17 Jul 09
And how exactly the A419 is supposed to cope with this?
lets not talk about Highworth road already gridlocked twice a day!!!
Is there anyone with a bit of grey matter working in this council?