HAVING, as founders of the Wroughton Residents’ Association, read with great interest your article re ‘Homes bid rejected’ (SA, October 16), we find it most encouraging to learn that such application was refused.

However, while not doubting any facts reported, we find them significantly lacking in detail by emphasizing the quotations of just one councillor, Eric Shaw, presenting the case for protecting Priors Hill while de-focusing that other Wroughton area interests are equally involved. Importantly we are talking of Marlborough Road which joins seamlessly with Brimble Hill located in Wroughton, not, as commonly confused, with the various other Marlborough roads in the Swindon area. There is even conjecture that the wrong Marlborough Road is discussed in the Southern Development Plan.

Far from being as reported by referencing Coun Eric Shaw’s statement: “The only decent road is Brimble Hill,” this road is actually far from decent with much past consultation with Swindon council concentrating on this. In fact two years ago we had a meeting with Rod Bluh and the then director of transport. Further to this we met with Peter Greenhalgh, lead cabinet member for transport and planning on the overall many safety issues. The road has also been inspected by interim director of transport and a number of borough officials and contractors. Thus, your report, accurate though it is on the facts made available to your reporter, is somewhat guilty of omission of the whole truth. Coincident with Coun Shaw’s observation that two cars cannot pass on Priors Hill, vans have equally the same problem on Brimble Hill/Marlborough Road. Despite all representations, inspections and studies we still find applications presented to the council planners which serve to massively increase the volume, weight and size of vehicles utilizing the subject road.

Brimble Hill-Marlborough Road has had many accidents, just a few recent reported examples being: A car driven by local woman hit by a lorry at the Brimble Hill/Wanshott roundabout in 2007 A person cut out of a car in 2007 following an accident.

November 28, 2007 a van plus two vehicle collision on Brimble Hill - attended by police.

December 12, 2007 an accident at the bottom of Brimble Hill/Marlborough Road - police attended.

January 16, 2008 a fatal accident on Brimble Hill - police attended.

Regarding the last incident I copy the press report on this: Man dies as car spins out of control A YOUNG man died when the sports car he was travelling in crashed into a tree. A heap of smashed metal and glass was all that remained of the car after the driver and his passenger were cut free. A man in his late 20s from the Wroughton area, who was in the front passenger seat of the silver Audi TT sports car when it crashed on Brimble Hill, died before emergency services reached the scene. Sgt Richard Day from Wiltshire Police’s Northern Roads Policing Unit said: “There were two people in the vehicle and the passenger died at the scene.”

Hardly a situation affording evidential support to this being a ‘decent road’.

That the housing development is on hold is good news, but now we have the Science Museum attempting to involve the Wroughton airfield with storage and parking of a large number of vehicles and the consequent increase in traffic volume. With respect, we suggest that you place the record on a more balanced footing regarding the overall inadequate transport infrastructure by preparing a further article having first established the wider range of facts and issues involved.

This we feel is especially required to expose the sublimated facts concerning transport issues which Coun Shaw is likewise concerned about.

LIN PRYDE & DEREK SMITH Wroughton Residents’ Association founders