North Locality Fund Meeting on July 12th 2012 - Postponed

ORA have been informed by email that this meeting has been postponed.  Look out for further details on the blog. 

Tadpole Farm - North Locality Meeting 7th June 2012 - What's in a Minute?

On 7th June 2012 the North Locality meeting went ahead and Tadpole Farm was on the agenda.  We have put the minute up from the Locality Lead and have contrasted this minute with ORA's.

ORA note that the Northern Development councillors who attended the meeting spoke against development at Tadpole Farm but at Planning Committee recommended it for approval or left it up to the Planning Committee.

Cllr Vera Tomlinson says:

"I would like to respond to David [Cllr David Renard (Haydon Wick)] and I am sure he knew I would. It is a bit of a defeatist attitude, that one. We are fighting for something that means an awful lot to an awful lot of people that live in the area which we are talking about and who will be affected most. It is not a done deal if we turn it down, if this Planning Committee turns it down, that the inspector will also turn it down. We have the right to speak at that appeal and if our arguments are good then the inspector will agree with us. So don’t think that if it is turned down it is going to cost you all a lot of money. Not necessarily so. And, in my opinion it is a fight worth fighting. We have to do it, it concerns so many people and it is such a bad application..."

On the night, Cllr Tomlinson recommended the committee to approve the planning application.

Are the Locality Groups Working?

A group of community associations (CAs) recently attended a meeting at Swindon Borough Council with Mr Matt Gott, Director of Policy, Partnership & Communications.  A large number of CAs all over Swindon have been very concerned about the organisation of the Localities, particularly the role of the Chair, the perceived diminution of the community view and the lack of consistency about how the groups are organised.

In response to these concerns Mr Gott explained to the CAs that: