Transport - Leader/Ward Councillors U-Turn On Their Promise to Oakhurst

Cllr Rod Bluh and the Abbey Meads ward councillors promised ORA and the North Swindon residents a Borough funded, independent transport review by a professional body outside of the Borough. It was acknowledged by the ward councillors at ORA’s first public meeting that completely independent data would be the only way to look at the true impact of the proposed Tadpole Farm development on the Oakhurst/North Swindon roads.

Promise timeline:

• January 2011 - ORA’s first public meeting about the proposed development at Tadpole Farm. The 120 residents/community representatives present are promised a Borough funded, completely independent transport assessment by the Abbey Meads ward councillors because the residents are gravely concerned about the detrimental impact of additional traffic on the local roads and the wider highway network.
• April 2011 - ORA’s second public meeting. The Leader is invited to attend the meeting. At the meeting Cllr Tomlinson makes it clear to Cllr Rod Bluh and Mr Justin Tomlinson that this promise has been made to ORA. Information is passed to Cllr Bluh at his request and the promise is documented in an email to all parties the day after the meeting. The Leader does not challenge the contents of the email.
• November 2011 – plans for Tadpole Farm are submitted to Swindon Borough Council.
• December 2011 – In spite of the promise being made almost a year earlier ORA are worried that no independent transport data is available to challenge the developer’s transport assessment. ORA commission their own independent transport review at a cost of £700.00 (paid for by donations from the membership).
• December 2011 - ORA’s third public meeting, Mr Justin Tomlinson re-iterates that he and the Leader of the Council have been party to the promise made to ORA but makes it clear that all that is on offer from the Leader is some help from Borough officers so that the community can do the work themselves.
• January 2012 – ORA raise the non-delivery of the promise at a NoSCA (North Swindon Communities’ Association) meeting and it is unanimously agreed by the community associations that a letter should be written to Cllr Bluh to ask why the promised independent transport assessment has not been provided.
• February 2012 – NoSCA receive a reply from Cllr Bluh stating that he has “no recollection whatsoever of committing the Council to pay for a second traffic assessment and would urge (us) to check (our) notes”.
• Next steps – NoSCA will make a decision on their response to the Leader after their next meeting on 7th March 2012.