They’ll be flooded with a range of concerns

Haydon Wick has the second biggest population of any ward in the borough and has some big issues to match.

The new ward retains the name of the existing one but is a bit bigger, absorbing some of the existing Moredon ward to the south and part of the Abbey Meads ward to the north.

A key issue is flood alleviation, after more than 50 families were left homeless in the devastating floods of 2007, when a month and a half’s worth of rain fell in a few hours.

Last year, the Environment Agency announced plans for a flood alleviation scheme but the plans were put on hold when the cost of the proposals continued to rise and the EA was forced to ask Swindon Council for an additional £100,000.

In February, the EA announced that a £5m scheme would start in the spring and be installed by Christmas.

Vic Waites, who has lived in Windflower Road for 18 years, was forced to move out of his home for six months when the entire ground floor was flooded in 2007, causing about £75,000 worth of damage.

Mr Waites, 68, said: “I would like the councillors just to make sure it keeps going. It all seems to be going ahead after all these years. It’s taken five years to get the funding and get the plans in place but it’s looking good now.

“Hopefully we will have peace of mind that it won’t ever happen again and hopefully it will also reduce our house insurance, because that went up quite dramatically after being flooded.”

A key issue for older residents is the indoor bowls green at the Oasis, which is not expected to remain after the centre’s refurbishment.

The facility is mainly used by members of Haydon Wick Bowls Club, including Coun Rex Barnett (Con, Haydon Wick). He has put forward a proposal to extend the Haydon Centre, in Thames Avenue, to provide a five-rink indoor bowls green at the back with a multi-function floor. The children’s play area which occupies that space would be moved slightly.

Mr Waits, a member of the bowls club, said: “That would be good, but with the current financial pressures that are on the council, it seems unlikely it’s going to be happen.”

Another problem is traffic flow outside the Morrisons supermarket, in Thames Avenue, with one idea being to remove the adjacent road bumps.

Bob Thorley, who has lived in Haydon Wick for 12 years, said: “That needs to be relieved pretty quickly because it’s almost like a Grand Prix at times. When two cars are approaching the chicane, one puts his foot down so the other one has to give way.”

Mr Thorley said he would also like councillors to investigate a 20mph speed limit in the old village and providing more car parking spaces for residents.

Brendan Lee, who has been the landlord of the Fox and Hounds pub for two years, said he wanted the new councillors to lobby for more police community support officers in Haydon Wick.

He added: “Once they were around all the time but now we don’t seem to see anybody.

“So we’re getting a lot more young people running around and causing mischief which never used to happen.”

Haydon Wick

Three seats

Candidates for 2012:

  • Rex Barnett, Conservative
  • Chris Brock, Green
  • Maura Clarke, Labour
  • Claire Ellis, Conservative
  • Ed Gerrard, UKIP
  • Deborah King, Lib Dem
  • David Renard, Conservative
  • Wayne Smith, Labour
  • Mark Viner, Labour Number of potential voters in new ward: 9,208 Most recent turnout figures: 40.63 per cent in 2011 Winner’s majority at last election: Conservatives with 56 per cent Existing councillors: David Renard (Con), Claire Ellis (Con), Rex Barnett (Con)

Homes plan is top of the list

CONTROVERSIAL plans to build nearly 250 homes on green space at Gorse Hill top the list of election issues for residents in the new Gorse Hill and Pinehurst ward.

Developer Haboakus plans to build 241 homes on the former allotment site, Pickards Small Field, and the open space known as Kembrey Grass, both of which are council-owned.

Swindon Council’s cabinet agreed in February to a number of proposals, including for the authority to sell the land subject to several conditions, including the granting of planning permission.

The cabinet and Haboakus say the £30m scheme would have a number of benefits, including providing affordable homes, enhancing the wildlife, and supporting the economy by increasing the number of residents and creating work and training opportunities.

However, residents have raised a number of concerns, including that the proposal would reduce open space in Gorse Hill, break laws, increase flooding, and potentially impact on Southbrook Recreation Ground.

Josie Lewis, of the Friends of Kembrey Grass community group, said: “It’s going to be a big election issue. That’s going to be a deciding factor in Gorse Hill and Pinehurst and Ferndale.

“It’s a major issue across the town, the fact the council down want to listen, the Cabinet, the members and officers don’t want to listen.”

Resident Sally Nunan, 42, of Sycamore Grove, Pinehurst, said she helped to gather a petition with about 800 signatures so far, calling for the council to abandon the project.

The mother-of-one said: “I think that will be a big issue because it will have a big effect. It’s fair enough building all these houses but only when you’ve got the amenities.

“Are you going to build another two schools because you are looking at least 500 children? And then you’ve got the traffic, the doctors, the dentists, and then you’ve got the drainage.”

In relation to other issues in Pinehurst, Sally said the council needed to install more dog waste bins and take more action on fouling, as well as work to provide more facilities for young people.

In Gorse Hill, resident Maurice Small, 69, of Poulton Street, said he wanted the former Somerfield supermarket in Cricklade Road, or the land on which it stands, to be bought back into use.

He added: “That end of Gorse Hill seems dead – it’s all dead, the shops are sort of dead down there.

“When we had Somerfields there before, everyone was going up and down and meeting everybody and it seems like now they only go as far as the Salvation Army shop.

“It would improve the area, it’s a rat hole at the moment. Either pull it down and make it into a car park or do something with it.”

Mr Small, a member of Gorse Hill Neighbourhood Watch, said more action also needed to be taken to tackle cycling on pavements and the problem of drug addicts, whose discarded needles he often finds on the pavement.

The new Gorse Hill and Pinehurst ward retains the name of the existing ward but has grown slightly, mainly into parts of the current St Philip and Penhill wards.

Gorse Hill and Pinehurst

Three seats

Candidates for 2012:

  • John Ballman, Labour
  • Ray Ballman, Labour
  • Janet Heenan, Conservative
  • Trudy Heenan, Conservative
  • John Kurton, Lib Dem
  • Frits Oostendorp, Conservative
  • Rochelle Russell, Labour Number of potential voters in new ward: 9,094 Most recent turnout figures: 30.29 per cent in 2011 Winner’s majority at last election: Labour with 60 per cent of the vote in 2011 Existing councillors: Rochelle Russell (Labour), John Ballman (Labour), Ray Ballman (Labour)