Category: Uncategorized

Not for the first time, building work in Swindon has been interrupted by a nesting bird. Whilst, naturally, komadori feels he should defend the right of other feathered creatures to nest where they feel it is appropriate, there are limits…. Delaying work on Swindon’s new library for one collared dove (out of a mainland population of over 200,000) is beyond that limit. The law that requires builders not to disturb any nesting bird is, though well-intentioned, distinctly bird-brained.

Yesterday I received a letter through the post from Ms Snelgrove. Not the most local affair, having been printed in London and with a return address on the envelope in Newcastle upon Tyne. Apparently, she’s had an

Action Team in Central to listen to your concerns about anti-social behaviour and the mounting rubbish on your streets.

The letter even solicits for volunteers to her ‘Keep Central Clean and Safe Team’. Ms Snelgrove seems not to realise that listening is not itself action. Even if it were, her ‘team’ have been most noticeable by their absence. The rubbish is now subsiding, especially since the council started putting little orange ‘Council aware’ labels on bags of rubbish left for days on the streets. The rubbish was ‘mounting’ on the streets several months ago, when Ms Snelgrove’s ‘Keep Central Clean and Safe Team’ didn’t even exist… not that there’s any evidence it exists at all. There’s no evidence of in on the local red nest’s website, nor on Ms Snelgrove’s.

The only things that are mounting now are the local election campaigns… and Ms Snelgrove’s hypocrisy. Real action speaks much louder than words.

Wiltshire County Council is planning some new lighting schemes which they claim will save up to 50% on energy use in summer. The saving is obtained by turning the lights in housing estates off in the middle of the night when nobody’s about. This, apparently, requires a high-tech system with central control.

Does nobody in local government remember the low-tech option? komadori can remember timer-controlled lighting, replaced in the late 1970s, which went off at 1 am and came back on at 5 am. No central control room, no expensive electronics, same effect. Such is ‘progress’.

Nine months after originally planned, Westlecott Farmhouse has now been demolished. That leaves Westlecott Farm Cottages (visible in the photograph) and the cottages and farm at South Leaze as the only pre-Wichelstowe buildings left in Swindon’s Front Garden.

I’m not overly interested in what the reasons may be for Mr Wren’s decision to prematurely leave his post as cabinet member for local environment on Swindon Borough Council. (Whatever the reason, I’m sure any formal announcement will include an attempt at humour of the ‘following the successful introduction of borough-wide kerbside recycling…’ variety.) Let’s just hope that his proposed successor, Mr Mattock starts with a little humility by admitting that the introduction of wheelie bins and blue bags for non-recyclable waste has poorly implemented.

The first step to improving services is admitting that they are not as good as they could, or should, be. The first step to learning how to make those improvements is admitting that mistakes were made.

I’m pleased to read that a recent planning committee meeting has rejected plans for redevelopment of the tented market. I’m also delighted that they chose not to follow their officers’ advice.

Objectors consider that the proposal is contrary to the Central Area Action Plan Submission Paper. This is not the case. The Market Hall is referred to as a development opportunity site in the Action Plan, which states that any redevelopment should encompass Class A1 uses supplemented by Class A3 uses. It is considered that the proposal, which will provide both Class A1 and A3 uses, accords with this requirement.

A plan for four A3 (Restaurants & Cafes) and one A1 (Shops) units is clearly A3 uses supplemented by A1, not, as the planner claim, A1 supplemented by A3. The committee decision reflects this.

The proposal fails to comply with the provisions of the Swindon Borough Local Plan 2011 as it would result in a concentration of Class A3 uses that would be likely to detract from the vitality and viability of other Town Centre uses in the area.

The committee also rejected the rose-tinted view from their officer that I have previously commented on. Not for them

a light and contemporary design solution…. It responds well to the area and will be a positive catalyst to the future of the town centre regeneration.

The committee’s view is somewhat less favourable.

[It] would result in a building that fails to achieve a high standard of urban design, is unsympathetic to the local context by reason of its appearance and would fail to improve the character of the Town Centre.

I note the developer’s view of the reasons for the rejection.

[They] are as much a criticism of the council’s planning department, who recommended the application for approval, as a criticism of us.

I totally agree with that and am delighted that, for once, the councillors’ views agree with mine!

As has already been widely reported, the Post Office has decided to go ahead with all its planned closures locally. To me, page 33 of their report sums up just how much of a sham the ‘consultation’ was.

There are no changes to the Area Plan Proposal for West Berkshire and Wiltshire as a result of local public consultation.

Their analysis of Westcott Place post office, and all the others for that matter, is bland — nothing more than a restatement of their original reasons for proposing closure.

Post Office® Westcott Place branch
Respondents’ main concern was the impact on the elderly and the wider community.

Post Office Ltd has considered all responses received and a review of this proposal has been undertaken. Customer numbers at this branch are relatively low. There are two alternative branches within approximately a mile, both of which can be accessed using public transport if required. The nearest branch at Rodbourne Road has good access into the branch with wide double doors to help facilitate entry for Post Office Ltd’s vulnerable customers. Taking these and all other relevant factors into account the decision is to proceed with the closure of Post Office® Westcott Place branch.

However strong the case for closure may have been, to run a ‘consultation’ and then so glibly disregard the comments made leaves a very bad impression. All those responsible for this process should be thoroughly ashamed.

As I read of Ms Snelgrove and Ms Howard attempting to defend Mr Thompson’s behaviour of remaining a councillor whilst he was residing in Spain, I can’t help wondering why they are doing this. Presumably out of some odd sense of loyalty that puts the interests of their colleague ahead of those of their constituents… and ahead of their electoral interests too. To defend, as they do, an elected representative who took payments from the public purse whilst not fully performing the duties those payments were for, gives the impression that they put politicians’ own interests before those of voters. Whilst contempt for voters amongst politicians is nothing new, it is disappointing to see so solid a show of such contempt from Mr Small and his colleagues.

komadori joined the many others marking the last day of Thamesdown’s Fleetline buses in Swindon, in aid of Prospect Hospice. Amongst the general chit-chat, he heard this:

What’s a boss? It’s someone who sits doing nothing behind a desk all day, and claims they’re why the company’s a success.

All the best conversation is on Swindon’s buses.

I don’t like the idea of 750 houses being built around Coate Water any more than Ms Saunders does. However, I do find some of her reasons for wanting to protect the area from development a bit odd.

The council also has to consider the beautiful views from Liddington Hill and the area of outstanding beauty. These views are equally as important as the views from Coate Water.

Ms Saunders seems to be suffering from an affliction common amongst campaigners: an inability to see existing large developments. For those that haven’t noticed, if one looks from Liddington Hill in the direction of Coate Water, rather prominent in the background is a town called ‘Swindon’. In comparison with that backdrop, another 750 houses are not going to change the view from the hill that much.