12:10pm Saturday 4th September 2010
By Katie Bond
IN 10 years Queen Elizabeth Drive has emerged from wasteland to become the perfect family neighbourhood.
The street, off Thamesdown Drive, in Taw Hill, now boasts a doctor’s surgery, a primary school, several shops and takeaways and a children’s play area, as well as several open spaces.
And, unlike many of the new estates in North Swindon, the road has a wide variety of properties.
These range from three-storey homes, coach houses and neat terraces, to modern apartment blocks and detached family homes.
Mum Rene Rosema, who has two daughters, lives just yards from the play park at the end of the road opposite St Francis School, and said it is an ideal location.
“I love it here, its really nice for the children because it is such a safe area and its a lovely place to go for walks,” she said.
“We are very happy here and don’t intend leaving any time soon.
“We have a park very close for the children, and a nice shopping centre close by.
“There are a lot of families around too, which is important for us and the children.”
Further down Queen Elizabeth Drive lives Sara Chamberlain.
She and her husband, along with their 15-year-old daughter, moved to the street eight years ago.
She said the street is like a mini village, and residents rarely need to stray far from the area.
“We all love living here but it has changed a lot since we moved in,” she said.
“Originally, half of the street was just fields, but now there is the school, lots more houses, shops and parks.
“It hasn’t really affected us too much, it’s a lot busier now with more traffic but it’s such a safe place to live. My daughter loves it here and always says she doesn’t want to move.
“It is so quiet, everyone has their own lives, but we all speak and say ‘hi’ to each other.
“You never really need to go far because it is like its own little village, it has got everything.
“Having a dog has helped me meet other people.
“Everyone is quite private, but you get to know so many people through walking the dogs. There are some lovely walks around here, especially by the lake.”
Jo Lake, 25, took her first step on to the property ladder when she bought her home in Queen Elizabeth Drive two and a half years ago.
She said: “I spent quite a bit of time looking around and felt with all the local shops it would be a really nice place to get my foot on to the housing ladder.
“I’ve found all my neighbours really friendly.”
PC Chloe Smith, who is based at the Orbital Centre, has been patrolling the street for three years.
She said: “It has very low crime rate, and I would say very rarely do we have any of our perpetrators of anti-social behaviour living in Queen Elizabeth Drive.
“It is a really nice street made up mainly of young families.
“It is a little bit more settled than some of the other new build areas.
“We have a lot of involvement with the staff at the shops at the village centre who we know are very interested in making that centre a nice place for people to come to and keeping crime levels low.
“It is a very safe place to live and we want to keep it that way.”
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