Times when it's good to be a local councillor...
This week's South #Swindon Parish Council meeting had an annual update from our Old Town #Library, and I wanted to share this phenomenal figure: in 2022, we loaned more than 19,000 books! Well over a four-fold increase from when we took it over in 2017.
And this year we're going to open Swindon's first new library in heck-knows how long, when we take on the community building at Badbury Park.
What's depressing is that, as the #SupremeCourt says, #Swindon Borough Council were "wholly justified" in wanting this road built for public use, and "could have done so" via a S106 agreement, but "for reasons unknown it did not".
Utter, utter cock-up.
Without completely redoing the masterplan, the #bus #rapidtransit is dead in the water- there's just no viable route. Either the BRT is replaced with a meandering route round the estate (not so rapid anymore), or you end up with a hodgepodge of services with little connection around the estate.
It's no better for other road users: it also cuts off the main car route between Great Stall East & the district centre, & potentially the most direct foot/cycle route too.
A core feature of the New Eastern Villages was its bus-first design. It was to be designed around "#bus #rapidtransit", featuring a bus-only bridge and a core high frequency route.
Wanna see the problem? That highlighted road is the one in question. The BRT was to enter at Great Stall Bridge, go through the retail, the warehouses, past the secondary school, and on to P&R.
Losing this road takes a chunk right out of the middle...
Honestly, one of the worst cock-ups by #Swindon Borough Council in memory, in a field with stiff competition.
To summarise: SBC have lost control of one of the main access roads into the New Eastern Villages, with lasting consequences.
The #SupremeCourt has confirmed that this is entirely their fault for failing to use standard #planning processes correctly. Result: a giant Amazon warehouse will stop people and buses from using the main road through the estate.
Patrick Herring
Andrew C.A. Elliott
Skibbereen Eagle /Орел Скіббер
⛧⛧⛧J.d.B.⛧⛧⛧
Roxi Horror 💀🌸