komadori’s green corner

The latest planning application for one of the affordable housing blocks in East Wichel includes a revised design for the noise bund (or mound of earth) that is meant to reduce the noise from motorway traffic for residents in the boxes houses of the new development. The new design, in the words of the report supporting the application,

uses a steeper aspect ratio, enabling the crest of the bunding to be moved slightly closer to the M4 motorway.

Of course, in doing so it allows the foot of the bunding to be moved closer to the M4 too, allowing a bit more space to cram more houses in. Fortunately for the residents of Wroughton, they are going to get rather wider (and more attractive) sound protection.

Some of the documents in Swindon Borough Council’s budget consultation (which closes on Wednesday 6th February) give the distinct impression of knitted garments of ovine origin being used as a visual impediment. Having only looked at the summary, I’m already feeling distinctly dizzy.

In addition, the Council has identified a further £2.5m of savings that have no adverse impact on services received by the public.

These include:

• securing alternative funding sources for services (mainly from health and schools)
• Increased income levels (e.g. from increased leisure charges or specific Government grants)

If, instead of paying for a service through the council tax, I now have to pay everytime I use said service, whilst still paying the same, if not more, council tax, is that not an ‘adverse impact’? If a service is to be provided, someone, somewhere has to pay for it. In suggesting that it has become cheaper, a ‘saving’, when all that’s happened is that the point of payment has been shifted, the council is being rather economical with the truth.

It’s not the first time that the Swindon Advertiser has used sensational headlines to report incidents allegedly related to fast food outlets. However, today’s offering is more devoid of fact than usual. The headline:

Burger brought teenager close to death

The opening paragraphs:

ROBERT Dobie munched on a burger during a visit to Swindon… and it almost cost him his life.

A few days after eating the snack, the 13-year-old from Marlborough had a stroke and went into a coma with a rare form of e-coli.

The statement reported from the council:

The bacteria were identified as the harmful e-coli 157 strand, but we have been unable to confirm the source because of the individual’s varied eating history during the onset period. We are happy that there is no further risk to Swindon residents.

Presumably the boy ate at a variety of places just before he went ill. To single out just one of those seems a blatant attempt to whip up hysteria.

It seems that Mr Bradshaw, on his recent visit to Swindon, has a rather inflated view of what constitutes historic significance.

I told them Swindon would achieve an historic milestone this year – a maximum waiting time of just 18 weeks from GP referral to treatment.

Somehow, I can’t see that minor milestone making it into the history books.

Today komadori sampled the lunchtime offering from the new all-you-can eat ‘pan-asian’ restaurant in Swindon, Cosmo. At just £5.90 per person (plus £1.30 for whatever beverage one chooses, alcoholic or not), this is certainly not the highest quality authentic oriental cuisine. But for the price it is very good, as evidenced by the fact that by 1 pm the restaurant was full. The lunchtime menu is not as extensive as the evening one (the ‘5 live cooking stations’ that their website boasts were distinctly dead), but there was a good range of ‘Chinese’ food and assorted curries. There was a good range of vegetarian options too, though some that, on face value, one might have expected to be vegetarian were not marked as such. There was also a good range of desserts, though these were not sampled, as after a full plate for starters and a plate-and-a-half for main course, komadori had already reached his all-he-could-eat limit.

Given its proximity to Swindon’s warehouse boozing establishments in Fleet Street, prices are higher on Friday evenings and Saturdays, when the atmosphere is also, apparently, more disco than family-meal-out. As their website suggests, advance booking is advisable, and at the busiest times don’t expect to be allowed to sit and relax after you’ve finished your meal: the staff will be anxious to see you on your way to make space for the next group waiting to be served.

Mr Bluh, in his obsession to bring a canal back into the town centre, is reaching the point of delusion.

It could make Swindon a destination of choice.

Really? That’s like suggesting that having a violin playing a few chords in a pop song makes it classical orchestral music. Also, I don’t recall many reports recently of Woking being inundated with tourists visiting the canal that runs through its town centre.

The green corridor would be a popular attraction, not just for tourists but the residents of Swindon as well.

The canal walk that runs along the old canal route from Kingshill to the town centre is already fairly green and certainly comparable to what the council’s central area action plan proposes for the green spine in terms of the amount of vegetation. I haven’t noticed many tourists there.

It’s about looking at the vision and seeing the issues involved, then seeing if it’s sensible to fulfil the vision.

It should also be about ensuring that the fog of exuberant enthusiasm doesn’t obscure reality.

It’s nice to have a leader with a vision for Swindon, but in believing, as he seems to, that of itself a canal will turn Swindon into a tourist attraction, Mr Bluh is forsaking vision for fantasy.

It seems that hardly a week passes at the moment without yet another local government partnership crawling into sight.

• Swindon Community Safety Partnership (Swindon Borough Council, Swindon Primary Care Trust, Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service, Wiltshire Probation Area and Wiltshire Police Authority)

And what has brought them to my attention? Their suggestion, at least ten years after it was introduced in many other towns, that glass in bus shelters could be replaced by clear polycarbonate, to reduce vandalism. It’s nice to see such quick thinking.

However bad First Great Western’s rail service may be (and, undoubtedly, it is poor), today’s widely reported so called fares strike is nothing more than dressed up fares evasion. If you’re not satisfied with a product or service, don’t use it: buy from an alternative supplier. As the focus of the campaign is local trains around Bristol, not the mainline service to London, there are alternatives, such as local bus services or private car. But that would inconvenience the campaigners….

If someone suggested a campaign of shoplifting to protest about queues in supermarkets, I’m sure it would be met with derision. It’s strange that this campaign is not regarded in the same way.

Salmon wrapped in streaky bacon, fried in their own oil and seasoned with Henderson’s Relish, with Thai fragrant rice sprinkled with tamari soy sauce, and soba noodles in a miso broth, all washed down with some green tea. Nothing special, but the combination of salmon and bacon was surprisingly pleasant.

If I were responsible of publicity at Thamesdown Transport, rather than making a fuss in the local press about the fact that they now clean the interiors of their buses more than once a day, I’d be rather ashamed that they’ve been allowed to run in such a filthy state for so long. The drivers of buses of some other companies (admittedly not local ones) have swept their buses regularly between journeys for many years. In comparison with the cost of a new bus, a broom and a couple of minutes of driver time would be insignificant.