26/02/09 - 3000 Homes Planned For 'West of Swindon' - Plans On Show

The details will be shown at an exhibition on at the Cricklade and Wootton Bassett Area Board on Wednesday 4 March, 7 pm, in Purton Village hall.

There is another chance to see them on Wednesday 11 March, 2pm to 8pm at Roughmoor Social Hall, Swinley Drive, Purton.

Potential plans to develop land Pry Farm, Ridgeway Farm and Moredon Bridge are to be consulted on.

For more information on these plans please visit the excellent article on Swindon Link:

http://www.swindonlink.com/news/show/611

As ever we are having houses imposed on use by Labour's unelected, unaccountable regional assemblies. There is no green space safe from Labour's plans to concrete on.

This land is part of Wiltshire County Council rather than Swindon Borough Council, and comes under the North Wilts Parliamentary boundary, which is represented by Conservative James Gray MP.

He has written an excellent letter opposing these plans:

26^th February 2009

George Batten Esq.,

Director of Environmental Services,

Wiltshire County Council, County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 8JD.

I write in response to the Wiltshire County Council Public Consultation on the proposed 3000 new homes to the west of Swindon within North Wiltshire, proposed under the Regional Spatial Strategy.

I was disappointed not to be called to give evidence to the examination in public, despite my clearly expressed views on the subject, and was equally disappointed that the unelected South West Regional Assembly concluded that some 3000 houses should be built in my constituency, without any such consultation.

I should make my position plain. I take the view that there should be no further building of housing to the west or north of Swindon. The land which lies between Swindon and the towns and villages of Wootton Bassett, the Lydiards, Purton and Cricklade are vital to the preservation of those towns and villages, and I am determined that that green buffer should be preserved at all costs. The imposition of these 3000 houses by the unelected quango known as the South West Regional Assembly is wholly unacceptable in a democratic society.

The Conservative Party, which seems to stand some chance of forming a Government within the next twelve months, is committed to abolishing the South West Regional Assembly, and the Regional Development Agency and to rescinding the Regional Spatial Strategy, which seems to us to have no democratic legitimacy of any kind whatsoever.

It is therefore my strong view that no action should be taken in the meantime which might be irreversible in the event of there being a Conservative Government taking those actions. The people of North Wiltshire are wholly opposed to the building of these 3000 houses and I very much hope that both Wiltshire County Council and Swindon Borough Council will take note of those views.