TONIGHT I attended the meeting at Woodlands Edge in Roughmoor Village Centre. The meeting was about the houses that are being built on land in the Wiltshire Council area and Tadpole Farm. The Swindon public turned out in strength and some were flabbergasted that Wiltshire Council can do this to them and yet their Swindon councillors have no right to stop this process.

I had a robust discussion with a chap who lives in Peatmoor and works for BMW. I have met him before on far more cordial terms, and tonight I felt his despair at what he had heard from council planning officers from both SBC and WC. In Swindon tonight I definitely detected a mood of no Wiltshire Council development on our doorstep. I found I was apologising to people who had attended for the situation that has been forced upon Swindon by Wiltshire.

The Shaw and Nine Elms councillors Nick Martin, Gary Perkins and Keith Williams, tried desperately to reassure people that they will do all they can to prevent this development from getting off the plans. I am sure Coun Mary Martin agrees with me that the impact of surface water from the development will swell the River Ray beyond its current flood capacity with implications for Westlea.

It was clear that the people of West and North Swindon do not want these Wiltshire Council developments on their doorstep. A clear signal was given tonight for councillors to lobby all MPs and prospective MPs to take action to stop this encroachment on Swindon’s borders. One hundred and fifty people had a clear message to give to Wiltshire Council. I would like to thank them for taking the time to attend the meeting and for the patience extended to planning officers who were having to defend the indefensible position of apply regional housing targets.

STEVE WAKEFIELD Swindon