"The answer now is to build high"

Having examined Swindon Council's recently released Economic Development Vision for Swindon, Terry King, the secretary of the Old Town Group and the chairman of the Okus Area Residents' Association gives his views.

"The vision itself is pretty good, a booming town," he said.

"I just think we are growing too fast without the infrastructure.

"We're having problems looking after our population of 189,000 now.

"A lot of people think we are struggling now.

"If we don't have the infrastructure, you will have a lot of people that won't be properly served.

"The big problem is the roads. Until you have a decent road system the town is going to grind to a halt.

"This is going to be a discouragement to business and residents.

"I don't think sufficient thought has been given to where to put the university.

"Building a university three miles out of town you are not regenerating the town centre - instead you are creating a huge amount of traffic.

"We would like to see the university in the north of Swindon. That would help to regenerate the town centre.

"The answer now is to build high. Some universities are 20 storeys high, so why not put it north of the railway?

"They have ignored the air, which in a booming town is essential.

"I'm not talking about a big airport, but one for light planes and helicopters.

"The worse the roads get the more businessmen will try to take to the air.

"The extra houses - do we need them? There was no justification for the numbers.

"When 35,000 more dwellings are added by 2026 the population of Swindon will be almost 300,000.

"If we really need that number of houses, why is the Northern Development five years behind completion?

"The science museum is a good idea and Wroughton is a good place to put it, but it causes huge traffic problems.

"You do need a dedicated road if you are not to make a mess of the Wroughton area.

"While it may attract thousands of visitors yearly it is unlikely to contribute much to the town centre, being six miles away.

"Those 500,000 people a year aren't necessarily going to spend money in Swindon.

"This is the fifth vision I have seen since I moved to Swindon in 1993. They have all sunk. I hope that doesn't happen to this one."

Transformedtown

THE Swindon Economic Development Vision and Framework plan was launched last month.

In the blueprint, the council says Swindon can transform itself into one of the top 20 tourist destinations in Britain in the next nine years.

It says it aims to be Britain's most energy-efficient city in 2025 and predicts the town's population will hit 250,000 by 2026.

It suggests hitching on to the future economic superpowers of India and China, becoming a showcase for new technology and becoming energy neutral.

The report's author, the council's director of economic development, Bill Cotton, said Swindon needed to shake off its boring or non-existent reputation.

Among the goals are getting the town into the top 20 tourist destinations by 2015.

By 2020 Swindon should be twinned with Bangalore, in India, form a partnership with Shanghai University and brand itself as Britain's "China Town."

The report says Swindon's most immediate problem is its credibility and image.

Later challenges include finding money for a university, dealing with power shortages and the water supply and keeping the M4 moving.

The cabinet's member for strategic planning, Peter Greenhalgh, said the report will create debate about what the town needs.

"Our vision for Swindon is deliberately ambitious," he said. "We already have a successful local economy with low unemployment and major companies like Honda, Nationwide and Intel.

"What we are looking at is how we can take that forward."