Tadpole Farm Community Consultation

Proposals at Tadpole Farm for approx. 1700 dwellings

Swindon Borough Council’s future Development Plan proposes building at

Tadpole Farm. Local residents and community representatives are invited to

a series of exhibitions displaying the findings of the work carried out to date

by Crest Nicholson. Members of the developer’s team will be available to

listen to your views and to answer questions.

(Dates below)

Blood Donation in North Swindon; Tuesday 8th March 2011

This is just a reminder that Orchid Vale Primary School have scheduled a blood donation session for Tuesday 8th March, between 15:00 and 19:30. 
 To enquire more about the sessions please email orchidvaleblood@gmx.com or visit http://www.blood.co.uk/.

There is also a subsequent session scheduled for Monday 13th June.

Developers and MP reveal their disastrous proposals for Tadpole Farm!

On Friday, 25^th February 2011 a meeting was hosted by the North Swindon MP for the developers and ORA The purpose of the meeting was for ORA to gain a better understanding of the developers’ proposals for Tadpole Farm.

The outcome of the meeting is that ORA are now a lot clearer about the position of our political representatives – with both the MP and the ward councillors appearing, to all intents and purposes, to be batting for the developers against the residents of Oakhurst

ORA Upcoming Events

This post details any upcoming events that the ORA has scheduled, or could be important to the local community.  We aim to keep this as up to date as possible.

Oakhurst Community Primary School Summer Fayre

Saturday 2nd July 11:30 to 14:30.

This is the school's biggest fundraiser of the year; please try and come along to help out this integral part of Oakhurst's Community.

Protestors Clear First Hurdle

Campaigners against the proposed wind turbines at the Honda site have cleared their first hurdle as the Swindon Borough Council Planning Committee voted to defer a decision on the application to build three 120m wind turbines.  This was to allow time for the council planning department to produce a report laying out the legal grounds for refusal of the application.

Further details can be seen in the Swindon Advertiser article at http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local/8840380.Wind_is_taken_out_of_turbine_sails/

Parish Council Shares Tadpole Development Concerns

The Haydon End Community Site has highlighted the documented concerns of our Parish Council here .

ORA Membership

So far our membership has grown in a few short months to over 150 individuals, so thank you to everyone who has shown an interest and signed up. 

If you have not joined the ORA, and are thinking of doing so, please continue reading...

ORA Constitution published

The ORA Committee met on Wednesday 9th February to cover a range of issues, one of which was to adopt and sign the Constitution of the Oakhurst Residents' Association.  This has been reproduced below:

No Answer for ORA Question at SBC Full Council Meeting

A group of ORA Members attended the Swindon Borough Full Council meeting on 17th February 2011 to put a question during Public Questions.

First stop was some photographs outside the Civic Offices with our banners to publicise the ORA campaign.

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Then it was in to the Council Chamber for Public Questions and a chance ask for answers from our elected representatives.  ORA member Paul Exell asked -

CAMEO Event, Saturday 5th March 2011 at Oakhurst School

Oakhurst Residents' Association is organising a CAMEO (Come and Meet Each Other) Event.  This will be Saturday, 5th March 2011, between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm, at the community rooms in Oakhurst Community Primary School.  This will be an 'open' event, so that visitors can drop in at any point during the times mentioned.  

It's an opportunity for ORA members and Oakhurst residents to get to know one another, to catch up on community news and to update everyone about the Tadpole Farm campaign. 

Refreshments will be available for attendees. 

Neighbourhood Policing Team Surgery 19th February 2011

The Swindon North NPT will be holding an open surgery for consultation with members of the public on Saturday 19th February 2011, between 12:00 and 13:00, at North Swindon Library.
(Orbital Retail Park, Thamesdown Drive, Swindon)

Oakhurst Residents' Association now on Twitter

You can now follow us on Twitter @WeAreOakhurst.

Oakhurst Shows Its Support For The Association!



ORA were out on the roads of Oakhurst today talking  to residents and discussing the issue of Tadpole Farm.

It was good to talk to more residents face to face and understand the issues they are concerned about. We also provided posters for windows - we even had cars pulling over and asking us if we had extra banners for front gardens!

We gained many new members and received lots of support from passers by - thumbs up and honking horns were very much in evidence!

North Swindon underrepresented; are we an easy target?

The ORA have been campaigning against the development of Tadpole Farm, during which we have been working closely with our Ward Councillors.  But are we disadvantaged in the representation we have on the council?

Swindon Borough Council to remove footbridge

The Haydon End Community Site has reported that SBC plan to demolish a footbridge that crosses the River Ray just south of Oakhurst.  More information can be found on their site here.

(Edit 28/02/2011) It now appears that the Bridge has had a stay of execution.

ORA Committee Meeting this week

The ORA Committee will be meeting this week to continue their work on their campaign. 

If there is anything that you feel should be covered in the meeting, please feel free to email me.

LATEST NEWS - CALA LEGAL CASE COULD HELP TADPOLE FARM?

Cala Homes Legal Challenge Fails - Implications for West Swindon/Tadpole Farm

The ORA has received information that the soon-to-be-but-not-yet-overturned RSS (Regional Spacial Strategy) that demands a minimum number of houses be built in Swindon has been dealt a serious blow.  Maybe developers who cite these RSS numbers as justification for building swathes of new houses will have to review their stances?

Residents Questions To SBC Planning Dept. Are Answered

More Residents' questions have been put to Swindon Borough Council Planning Department. The answers are below: 

Blood Donation in North Swindon

Orchid Vale Primary School has for some time been trying to gather enough support for approval of blood donation sessions for North Swindon.

They have now managed to schedule a session for Tuesday 8th March 2011, between 15:00 and 19:30.  To enquire more about the sessions please email orchidvaleblood@gmx.com or visit http://www.blood.co.uk/.

Will Chapel Farm affect the Tadpole Farm development?

Chapel Farm is currently a landfill site that abuts the north-eastern spur of the Tadpole Farm development site.  It is reportedly due to reach it’s capacity within the next 5 years.  (Click here for a map). Wiltshire and Swindon councils have suggested a range of potential future uses for parts of the Chapel Farm site varying from Composting to Recycling to Waste Treatment.

During an informal public consultation between January and March 2010, Crest submitted detailed opposition to the plans, based upon the upcoming Tadpole Farm development, which can be read here.

A variety of detailed assessments have been mentioned, which not only include the environmental concerns that you would expect from such a site, but also a Traffic and Transportation review, which would be interesting in light of other traffic issues surrounding the Tadpole Farm development.

I have been informed that a report will be going to Swindon's Cabinet on the 9th March, and subsequently to Wiltshire's Cabinet on the 22 March. Release and public consultation of the final proposals is due to be conducted around late March/April 2011.

ORA leaflet dropping throughout this week

Here are the final images of the leaflet we began to distribute last weekend, and hope to finish by the end of this week:

North Swindon to get £700,000 for community projects

Swindon Link has an article here on a significant 'pot' of funds secured by our Ward Councillors and local MP to benefit the communities in North Swindon.

Watch out for leaflets delivered around the local area to gather ideas as to how this money could be used to benefit the community.

Minutes of meeting with Councillor V Tomlinson, 9th December 2010

Representatives of Oakhurst Residents’ Association and Redhouse Residents’ Association met with our Ward Councillor, Vera Tomlinson, on the 9th December 2010, regarding the Tadpole Farm development.  Here are the minutes of that meeting: