Councillor Owen Lister's latest letter in the Evening Advertiser - 17th June 2002
MAY I correct the impression that what I am suggesting in connection with the Groundwell Ridge Roman Ruins site is a museum on the Primary School 5 (PS5) site.
The Roman Ruins at the Groundwell Ridge site are considered by experts to be highly significant and to be among the top 20 such sites in the UK. The site has been considered to be of such importance that £1m has been spent to buy the land back from the developers who had intended to build houses there.
In due course, excavation will show whether those assertions are correct, but this is likely to take 10 to 15 years. If they are, the public will want to look at what has been found not just school children. This is the problem that now confronts us.
This site is bounded to the north by housing at St Andrews Ridge and to the south by the Ash Brake development. The roads on these two estates are incapable of containing more than minimal visitor parking.
To the east of the site is Salzgitter Drive and Motorola, which means that the only undeveloped land adjacent to the Groundwell Ridge site is to the west of Lady Lane, on a site that has been designated for PS5.
It is suggested there could be a visitor centre at the Asda/Wal-Mart complex and visitors could make use of the car park there. Most people agree, however, that visitors to Groundwell Ridge are not going to walk 10 to 15 minutes from Asda, crossing a dual carriageway.
Residents on the estate adjacent to the site are concerned about the estate's roads being clogged. Their concerns may be justified.
If the PS5 site were to have a visitor centre (not a museum) and a car park, the problems would be solved. Unfortunately, the PS5 site is so small that it is difficult to see how it could offer a site for a school, visitor centre and car park.
There is, however, the possibility that Abbey Meads School could be developed into a two form entry school, which would obviate the need for a school on the PS5 site.
The Groundwell Ridge site has the potential to become a major visitor attraction for Swindon. But there needs to be urgent, well informed consideration of all the relevant issues. Time is not on our side.