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:

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:

Are There Two Sides to Community Engagement?

At a recent Full Council meeting, the Chair of ORA spoke in support of the petition that 450 local residents had signed.  The Chair urged the Councillors to take account of the views of the large majority of Oakhurst residents:

The Leader of the Council has been reported as saying that all discussions have two sides - and that is a view that I think all residents will agree with, but unfortunately one that many will also feel does not apply when it comes to many community consultations that are carried by the Council. 

ORA Petition - Councillors Do Not Have To Take Account of Our Views

The ORA petition, signed by 450 local residents, was debated at SBC's Full Council last week.  The petition stated, "We, the undersigned, want Swindon MPs and councillors to regularly consult the Oakhurst Residents' Association and other representatives of the local community about developments in the area and take account of their views".

North Swindon Locality Meeting

The North Swindon Locality meeting will be held at 7.00pm on Thursday, 8th March 2012 at Haydon Wick Parish Offices, Thames Avenue, SN25 1QQ.

The agenda for the meeting will include:

Oakhurst Residents Say "No to Tadpole Farm" - Thank you from ORA for your support

Over the last weeks we have been out knocking on doors and talking to you all about Tadpole Farm and we have been overwhelmed by the level of support you have continued to show for the campaign against development at Tadpole Farm. 

We have received well over three hundred written objections to the Tadpole Farm planning application over the last week.  This is a clear and robust expression of the level of feeling in the area about this issue.

Oakhurst says,  "No to Tadpole Farm".  The vast majority of people we have spoken to have been clear that the plans submitted by the developer fall woefully short of Oakhurst's expectations.  You could not bridge the gap between Oakhurst's demands for infrastructure such as transport, school places, health care services and employment and what the developer is offering.

Members of the North Swindon Communities’ Association (NSCA) say “We Are Stronger Together”

The North Swindon Communities’ Association is made up of community representatives from across the whole of North Swindon including the Parish Councils of Haydon Wick, Blunsdon St Andrew, Moredon Residents' Group, Oakhurst Residents’ Association, Rodbourne Cheney Residents’ Association, St Andrew’s Ridge Residents’ Association and the Whitworth Road Residents’ Association.   

At a recent meeting on 12th January 2012, which was also attended by residents from Haydon End, Redhouse, St Andrew’s Ridge and Oakhurst, the NSCA put together their mission statement: 

·       To bring together North Swindon community and interest groups to discuss matters of mutual interest in a non-political context.

·       To share information.

·       To speak as one voice.

·       To take action on agreed issues affecting the community within North Swindon.

·       To be ‘stronger together’.  

It was emphasised by members of the group that they wanted a "grassroots up" Association with the community taking the lead.  Terry Hunt (Chairman of Rodbourne Cheney Residents’ Association) was duly elected the new Chair of the NSCA.