Category: Uncategorized

Over at the Adver it has been a slow news week. Not because there isn’t much to report (though to be honest, there isn’t much to report), but because their new gee-whiz website is rather lacking in gee and totally lacking in whiz. The site has stumbled along since the revamp, struggling to serve up news stories.

It seems that in the rush to make things more interactive, Newsquest, which owns the Adver, have forgotten the importance of thorough testing before unleashing their developers’ handiwork on the public. They’re not the first, by a long way, to make this mistake in the rush to convert sites to “web 2”. What does seem to distinguish them is how slow they are at putting things right.

Either that or someone thinks it’s a clever way to persuade people to go and buy the newspaper instead of waiting and waiting… and waiting in front of their PC for the Adver website to respond.

’Tis amazing how easy it is to miss an event happening almost on your doorstep. This morning I heard a siren coming from the direction of Wootton Bassett Road and thought that it was going on for rather a long time without fading into the distance as they usually do. A few minutes later I heard another siren and thought the same. An hour and a half later whilst walking to work I noticed immediately that Westcott Place was heavily congested despite the school holidays having started and that traffic was also tailing back heading north along Park Lane. I assumed this was the cause of an accident on Great Western Way, as that is the usual cause of abnormal traffic congestion in this area. In fact it was far closer to home.

One thing struck me in the comments on the Adver report of the loft fire in a house on Wootton Bassett Road was a comment from someone claiming to be a fireman.

Every house fire requires the attendance of our aerial appliance

It never used to be that way and I’d be interested to know when and why the use of a conventional fire tender, water hose and ladder ceased to be acceptable. As the Adver’s photograph shows, although the ‘aerial applicance’ was in attendance, its aerial capabilities weren’t getting much use.

I recently lunched at the Spag Bowl on the corner of Holbrook Way and Bridge Street. It is more a cafe than a restaurant, offering breakfast as well as lunch and dinner, and has prices to match. The food though is definitely of restaurant standard, and quite a good restaurant at that. The Pesto & tomato ciabatta for starter was pleasantly rich and light. The sauce on the main course of Amatriciana was equally rich, yet not heavy, being perfectly done and a fine savoury combination of bacon, onions and tomatoes lightly seasoned with herbs and spices. This is an establishment that clearly takes its olive oils seriously, it being the source of the richness mentioned and with over five being offered with their caprese. I’m not a connoisseur of Italian coffees, but that too seemed high quality to me, with a fine flavour and not over-roasted as is often the case in cheaper Italian restaurants.

If you should find yourself in a queue awaiting entry to Cosmo just across the road, abandoning the wait and making the short journey to the Spag Bowl would be a wise choice. If you’re interested in fine food, you’ll not regret it.

I’ve commented before about the antiquated appearance of the houses being built on Swindon’s front garden and its potential for creating a run-down appearance. Now it seems that the public buildings within Wichelstowe will be taking that concept to new depths.

A primary school with ‘community facilities’ and nursery proposed for ‘Parcel 36’ of East Wichel has a very Victorian looking front. Behind that is tagged on something looking like a cheap 1970s extension. The overall effect of the design for Swindon Borough Council is a ramshackle building that appears to have been starved of funds before it’s even been built.

Actually, given that this expansion of Swindon has been imposed by central government with little, if any, financial support, that last thought might not be far from the truth.

Some children had a very late night, waiting for the Children’s Fete to finish with a bang.

To the quiet accompaniment of the Wiltshire Wanderer fairground organ, today is the Children’s Fete in Faringdon Road Park. With possibly the highest density of tombola stalls ever assembled in one place, plus a few other stalls, some small fairground rides and other entertainments, the event is tame in comparison with other events targeted at children. A revival from a calmer era… and none the worse for that. From the number of people there, it clearly fulfils a need. Long may it continue.

As an aside, the event has also generated the earliest mention of Christmas amongst Swindon bloggers. It must be winter soon….

Another thing to happen during my unscheduled absence from the internet is that Swindon Borough Council planning committee has, at its latest meeting, yet again rejected proposals for replacing the tented market with an ugly slab pavilion of restaurants. Having previously commented at length on this proposal I’ve little more to say, apart from noting my satisfaction with the committee’s decision, and wondering yet again at how the planning officer manages, still, to find these plans so much more attractive than almost anyone else does.

Having ignored the story when it was first reported, and again later, it’s probably no surprise that I don’t have strong views as to whether Swindon should or should not be part of the Wiltshire & Swindon Safety Camera Partnership. I don’t have any sympathy for anyone that gets caught speeding: if you break the law and get caught, tough. I do care about my money being used in the most effective way and like many I’m not convinced that cameras are as good a road safety measure as some would make out — but that doesn’t mean I want to get rid of all of them.

What has been most disappointing about all of this and has, I suspect, done nothing for the reputation of either Mr Bluh or Ms Snelgrove and her entourage, is the rapid descent into petty politicking. The willingness of Ms Snelgrove to distort the facts behind the current state of speed cameras in Swindon and the effects of their removal hardly befits someone accusing her opponents of ‘playing politics with lives’. (And who other than Ms Snelgrove could regard something as a stealth tax if money goes to local government but not a stealth tax whilst it goes to central government?)

The original motion at last November’s council meeting proposing withdrawal from the safety camera partnership was itself laden with party political point scoring. To respond in a similar, but worse, manner just helps to lower the already poor reputation that politicians, and Ms Snelgrove in particular, already have.

Yesterday, the Adver reported on a week in the life of three councillors: Messrs Tomlinson, Pajak and Montaut. All three seem keen to stress how much more there is to their public service than attending council meetings. I wouldn’t deny that. But all three of these councillors have had quite good attendance rates at meetings. It comes as no surprise that they are as diligent when away from the council offices.

What would be more interesting is to see the diaries of Messrs Wiltshire, Dobie and Baker. Do they make up for their poor attendance at council meetings with their other councillor duties, or do they put in a matching performance?

One of the common features of pressure groups and campaigns is their one-tracked pursuit of their goals, impervious to whether the approach they are taking is so inappropriate as to actually prevent them being taken seriously, ultimately reducing the likelihood of them achieving their goals. So it is with the New Mechanics Institution Preservation Trust. They will be making representations to the planning inspector who is currently assessing Swindon Borough Council’s Central Area Action Plan. The plan covers many things and the Railway Village is a relatively small part of that… and the Mechanics Institute an even smaller part still.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s perfectly appropriate for the Mechanics Institute to be a topic for discussion during the inspector’s examination of the action plan, but her remit is limited to issues of planning policy and strategy. Who owns individual properties is not a planning policy matter. Using the examination, as they are, as a means for yet again peddling the Preservation Trust’s view that the Mechanics Institute should be in their their ‘community’ ownership for community use is way beyond what inspector’s remit. Wasting everyone’s time making arguments that aren’t relevant just annoys and detracts from the small smattering of arguments in the Trust’s case that the inspector can consider.

If they want to yet again be labelled as vexatious, the New Mechanics Institution Preservation Trust seem to be going the right way about it.