Putting Swindon on tourist trail (From Swindon Advertiser)
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Putting Swindon on tourist trail
12:20pm Thursday 27th August 2009 in News
Putting Swindon on tourist trail
HISTORIC buildings could sit next to state-of-the-art leisure attractions in future holiday brochures for Swindon.
Swindon Council plans to promote the town as a tourist destination with a mixture of ancient landmarks and new attractions, such as a snowdome or major concert venue.
The vision for Swindon’s cultural landscape is included in the council’s draft core strategy – a vision of how the town will develop over the next two decades.
According to Coun Phil Young, Swindon Council’s lead member for culture, regeneration and economic development, areas such as the Railway Village will be a key selling point in establishing Swindon as a tourist hotspot.
Other icons of the town, including the Mechanics’ Institute and the Locarno, should also be brought back to life, Coun Young said.
“Nowhere else in the country has something quite like the Mechanics’ Institute,” he said.
“It’s something we can be proud of and something that can represent Swindon to visitors.
“We keep plugging away and we are doing everything we can to get these projects back on track. We don’t own the buildings so there’s only so much we can do.
“I would like to see a viable use for the Mechanics’ and the Locarno found by 2026.”
Coun Young said work on regenerating the town centre would benefit the Railway Village.
He said: “It’s part of the same vision for the town centre and is about making the most of what Swindon has to offer and drawing people into the town centre.”
Other attractions to entice visitors could include a new concert venue or a 250ft snowdome.
Coun Young said: “The concert venue idea has always been a popular one and it is something we support.
“The way things are at the moment it is difficult to secure the funding for any major projects but this is a long-term strategy and we will keep looking at it.”
Negotiations with Urban Ski to bring a snowdome facility to North Star are ongoing, according to Coun Young.
“Again the current climate has made it difficult for companies to commit but we are still in talks about the snowdome,” he said.
“I think Swindon can be a great destination for tourists. We have some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain all around us. The challenge is to develop enough reasons for people to come into the town as well.”
A public exhibition to gather opinion on the strategy will be held today and tomorrow from noon to 6pm at North Swindon Library.
l Tomorrow: Plans to build a canal through Swindon
Comments(23)
ItsPavAgain
says...
12:47pm Thu 27 Aug 09
Swindon born n bred
says...
1:36pm Thu 27 Aug 09
I've read more plausible stories in a Jeffrey Archer novel.
swindonistani
says...
1:38pm Thu 27 Aug 09
Well Mr councillor, I do not think that Swindon can wait another 17 years!
Now regarding the Snowdome and a major concert venue, since it is entirely in the hands of thie council, when are we expecting these projects to complete?
The railway village to be Swindon key tourist point!?! was he high on something illegal during the interview?
May I suggest this imbecile, to concentrate on urgent issues:
Transport (rail link, P&R, urgent traffic jam busting measures)
University
Town regeneration and put the outlet and railway musuem on the shopping trail, get cafes, nice restaurants, good bars etc....
Before having ideas of Grandeur Mr Young, try to get a grip with the base lines issues
Was this maybe his electoral campaign program, well Mr Cockroach you and your leader of the cockroaches can try HARDER!
itsamess
says...
1:50pm Thu 27 Aug 09
"SNOWDOME" Really? those negotiations have been going on for many years before Swindon became the fastest rising unemployment area in the west--with the least shops of any comparable town. In the meanwhile the council will continue to sell us out to govt plans.
swindonistani
says...
2:01pm Thu 27 Aug 09
itsamess wrote:Exactly, how can we expect this council to help Swindon and Swindonians out of this crisis when their agenda is set 2 generations away?
Oh My goodness--Councillor Young has been listening--only 50+ councillors more needed to get things moving--only another 17 years to wait. Just a minute--will all this happen before or after the 36000 new houses are built--oh and the ones on the outskirts of Purton--and Coate and of course the tourists will have plenty of hotels too at the rate of 2 a year. Now we know why the Council are opposed to the university on North Star " "SNOWDOME" Really? those negotiations have been going on for many years before Swindon became the fastest rising unemployment area in the west--with the least shops of any comparable town. In the meanwhile the council will continue to sell us out to govt plans.
If I was an investor, I would read this article and just take my business to another town where the council is actively working on issues.
No wonder Swindon looks like a decaying Industrial yard.
itsamess
says...
2:11pm Thu 27 Aug 09
They are building houses on the Outlet village site--so no decent bars/restaurants or anything else--thats our council--houses houses houses.
Home Boy
says...
2:15pm Thu 27 Aug 09
itsamess wrote:Don't the plans also include a high end hotel, restaurant, cafes and a few shops between the outlet village and underpass as part of the housing scheme?
By the way swindonistani
They are building houses on the Outlet village site--so no decent bars/restaurants or anything else--thats our council--houses houses houses.
ListenToReason
says...
3:19pm Thu 27 Aug 09
billie-boy
says...
4:58pm Thu 27 Aug 09
Bobby Bee
says...
5:02pm Thu 27 Aug 09
ListenToReason
says...
5:11pm Thu 27 Aug 09
Kabul
Baghdad
The Bronx
Medellin
Swindon
Mogadishu
Ulan Bator
A lfe-changing experience guaranteed!
I Too
says...
6:10pm Thu 27 Aug 09
`
Nowhere else in the country has something quite like the Mechanics’ Institute,” he said.
“It’s something we can be proud of and something that can represent Swindon to visitors. "
`
He's actually right on those points, but I bet he couldn't elaborate, on the reasons WHY we should be proud of it.
`
“I would like to see a viable use for the Mechanics’ and the Locarno found by 2026.”
`
Actually, The Mechanics' Preservation Trust have already carried out the hard work, on that front. They have prevented SBC from allowing it to be buried, under a ten storey eyesore.
They have also draughted plans, which meet ALL planning criteria and approval. All SBC need to do is CPO the building, as the NSC purchased the former police station, then call in the local craftsmen to sort out the damage of neglect.
We do realise of course, that these are more blank statements from SBC. Pure spin.
It does demonstrate that they read the comments on this site, but it also demonstrates that they think we are all fools, willing to believe the same old bull's manure.
I Too
says...
6:17pm Thu 27 Aug 09
The argument there is the same for that of £10 million, required for a university site . Stop wasting millions on unnecessary paving schemes, previously rejected water features, and closing down existing businesses to chase big dreams. You'll soon reserve the funds to carry out the essential restorations, regardless of how many £millions that might be.
PS has Nick Martin worked out where his ward is in relation to Coate yet?
Jo-Ent
says...
6:37pm Thu 27 Aug 09
Or maybe the government could give Swindon the tens of millions of pounds we've been under-funded since 1997?
You see, not so easy, is it?
I Too
says...
7:14pm Thu 27 Aug 09
Jo-Ent wrote:In principle you are very correct.
OK everyone, have the snowdome, the concert venue, the mechanics, the locarno and everything else straight away, if that's what you want. That'll be, ooh, about another £500 a year on Council Tax, please. Or maybe the government could give Swindon the tens of millions of pounds we've been under-funded since 1997? You see, not so easy, is it?
However, in reality, we have a council, wasting £4million on a pointless paving alteration, a council replacing a feature that Swindon rejected years ago, and the residents being ignored, if not mocked, by the same incompetent clique.
It is not purely down to finance.
If the council spent our money correctly, we'd be making much better progress.
Firstly they need to start taking notice of the people that live here, who have been learning, through SBC's mistakes, for generations.
Bobby Bee
says...
9:28pm Thu 27 Aug 09
Let's hope that the Councillors DO read these websites.
Then they will hear what people want.
Note: we appear to all be singing from the same hymnsheet.
ie we do not want perfectly good (new?) paving stones dug up; we do not want an expensive £200,000 water feature in the town centre; we would like something useful done with the Mechanics' Institute , using its original purpose for education; we do want to be able to trust our elected representatives to do what we want and not to have their palms greased by developers; we do want Coate Water to remain in its peaceful setting;we do want further education ....a University situated in the town centre, which will help regeneration.
We do NOT want Swindon to become a huge housing estate with developers making massive profits at our expense; we want a town we can be proud of, with good shopping and facilities, one that we can take pride in using , even if others from away do not use the facilities as much as other surrounding towns.
Please read the list presented and bear it in mind whenever the next SBC meeting occurs....
We do have a safe town and are surrounded by beautiful countryside. Let's build on the positives and make more of them....PLEASE!
Scott Thunes
says...
9:47pm Thu 27 Aug 09
itsamess
says...
11:41pm Thu 27 Aug 09
Billy-o
says...
9:27am Fri 28 Aug 09
Mr_Big
says...
9:31am Fri 28 Aug 09
itsamess wrote:Yawn! zzzzzz
We never get the truth from this or any previous Council. So called consultations that are half hearted and overridden. How many remember the sale of the Brunel under the labour council--who said in the pursuit of a new phase in the future of swindon and the openness of the Council they invited the people of swindon to decide the best use of this windfall--perhaps some of you can remember the figures? A new library was promised. Oops sorry folks due to our mistake in taking over as a unitary authority from WCC we have to pay out 40+ millions towards the pension funds. We never actually found out what happened to the other substantial millions--anyone know? The Council has for many years farmed out its services--yet former workers and officers were transferred to those companies and still received all the benefits and protection of Council employees. We have seen companies come--fail and go and other companies replace them. How many Council staff and officers are actually recruited from swindonians? The next bombshell was when the former leader of the council announced that during his watch the equal pay act was overlooked and it was going to cost the Council Tax payers some 50 millions. The tories took over with promises of lifting Swindon and regenerating it and finally built the new library. Boosting revenue by the newly aquired powers to take over parking enforcement and still one of the most disputed areas of revenue collection. Now we have the new plan for swindons regeneration which is still headlines housing projects the govt wants which will simply surround our town with no provisions for adequate shopping--no major venues and so on--a master plan to cripple swindon when we should be building a future for our children.
I Too
says...
11:55am Sat 29 Aug 09
Mr Big replied "Yawn! zzzzzz"
.
and there we see the level of integrity of this windbag
Bobby Bee
says...
9:43pm Sat 29 Aug 09
ifuwantblood says...
12:33pm Thu 27 Aug 09