From the Evening Advertiser
Date Published: Tuesday 16 December 2003

Click on the war of the websites

by Michael Litchfield

THE relative merits of two Swindon development sites have now become a war of websites.

Land next to Coate Water and the Great Western Hospital has been earmarked in the revised Swindon Local Plan for an 8,000-student campus and 1,800 homes.

Then last month David Wilson Estates revealed rival plans for a University of Bath campus in east Swindon on a 400 acre site beside the River Cole, south of the A420.

The eastern plan is for a blueprint of 1,500 houses, a school, shops and offices.

In a novel consultation approach, David Wilson Estates launched a website for residents to vote in favour of Coate or Cole.

Not to be outdone, campaigners have set up their own website, though it is specifically geared to "saving Coate".

Jean Saunders, the planning campaigner for Swindon Friends of the Earth, said her organisation and many other groups were outraged by the council's proposals for development around Coate Water.

"I'm not a tree-hugger, but I'm prepared to camp out in front of the bulldozers to stop them ploughing up our beautiful countryside," she warned.

"I'm not saying that the campus and houses should be built east of Swindon beside the River Cole, but they must be kept away from Coate Water because that is far too precious to spoil.

"No-one can deny that Coate is Swindon's green oasis and the public will never forgive a council that allows or indeed encourages its desecration.

"It seems to me that Swindon council planners are re-writing history in order to open the floodgates to more development near Coate Water.

"Knowing how much Swindonians treasure this area, we were assured by Swindon Council that the hospital development would be a one-off exception to the rule to protect the land at Coate. These have proved to be hollow words."

Also backing the website are Swindon Civic Trust, the Council for the Protection of Rural England, Swindon Trades Union Council, the Friends of Coate Water and Greenpeace.

But Swindon council leader Mike Bawden (Old Town and Lawns) defended the council's policy of building on greenfield sites.

"The simple truth is that there are no brownfield sites left in Swindon anywhere near big enough for us to comply with our statutory requirements," he said.

Coun Bawden predicted that the campus development would be the most important since Brunel installed railway repair workshops in Swindon.

"The objectors conveniently forget that towns these days tend to grow up alongside motorways not beside railway lines and canals as in the past and that's exactly what we're witnessing in Swindon. You can't swim against the tide forever."

David Wilson Estates said it was too early to give a breakdown of any feedback to their internet lobbying.