Letter from Brian Burrows (From Swindon Advertiser)

Letter from Brian Burrows

4:23pm Tuesday 9th March 2010 in

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IT is clear that there is no strategy in planning the future of Swindon that means no empathy between buildings. An example is the block of flats on Sanford Street that is a modern design but clashes with the older buildings in this area. Decisions are made on an individual basis that spoils the image of Swindon. What is needed is an overall plan and decisions made for the most important area for development.

If this is not done it makes it more difficult to create a successful economy and growth in job creation. In terms of marketing the image is the message and it is not very good now. Many of us warned Swindon Borough Council that Swindon would become a ghost town. The answer was that Swindon was the fastest growing town in the west and this view still exists.

In order to create a successful economy it has to start with the centre with an overall strategy of the most important areas to start with and in Swindon and this is Regent Circus and the Central Business District. These are the most important areas for development now.

Some of the successes in Swindon are paving the town centre so people can shop in a car free environment. The other is the public library that is fantastic and is the best library that I have seen and enjoy going there. We all hoped that this would be the key to further development as the empty college is an eyesore. We never understood that when the developer went bankrupt we all assumed that a new developer would be found. Instead we have the water feature that may be all right in the long run but one should undertake projects like this in a recession. Also it is taking so long the project could go over budget.

There is one area of great concern is that some of the paved street is being dug up and replaced by black tarmac. This must stop now as it is not acceptable and many people have commented on this stupid action. Not only is it not acceptable but is costing us money that could be put to much better uses. So far there are six areas where the bricks have been replaced and one is very large with a meaningless pattern.

Also we need to have a look at the Central Business District as the to let signs have been the same for many years. Once this is done we need to put all the empty offices and factories back into use. The offices can be converted into domestic dwellings but the factories will now have to be demolished.

BRIAN BURROWS Bath Road Swindon