NEW - Ward Councillor

Surgery at

Wanborough Village Hall monthly

I now hold monthly WARD COUNCILLOR meetings at the Village Hall in Wanborough 9-10.30 on a Saturday morning monthly (apart from August).

Residents welcome from all parts of The Ridgeway Ward.

Diary dates if you want to call in for a chat or to discuss a concern are:

8^th September, 13^th October, 10^th November and 8^th December.

These are held on a Saturday, as I hope that will be more convenient for you and if bigger topics arrive the venue is suitable for a more ‘public meeting’ style event.

“Ridgeway Ward Councillor News - for July 2018" 

MY ROLE: The Council Leader re-shuffled the Cabinet in May and I was delighted to be asked to become the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, with responsibility for among other things the New Eastern Villages, Wichesltowe, Tadpole Garden Village and all planning and related matters in the Borough. This also includes new strategic road schemes (Junction 15 improvements, Commonhead, Southern Connector Road, White Hart etc) plus the Landscape team at Swindon (Canals, Woodlands, green spaces, new sports facilities etc) – interesting challenges!

As your Ward Councillor I remain fully able to object, or indeed to support planning applications in the Ridgeway Ward. Having lived here for many years now I have a good sense of what might be acceptable or not, but looking to the future, planning applications will come forward in all villages and around Swindon and I would just say that the first answer should not always be no! We need to ask would it benefit our village in any way – this is a bigger conversation going forward, as few homes have been built here in recent years the numbers attending our school from outside are now nearly half of all pupils and if we want village events to continue to have support we need more families moving in!

MEETINGS RESIDENTS: I do not find Parish Council meetings in Wanborough a great way to interact with residents.

With this in mind I will be holding monthly WARD COUNCILLOR meetings at the Village Hall in Wanborough 9-10.30 on a Saturday morning monthly (apart from August).

Diary dates if you want to call in for a chat or to discuss a concern will be:

14^th July, 8^th September, 13^th October, 10^th November and 8^th December.

I am doing this on a Saturday, as I hope that will be more convenient for you and if bigger topics arrive the venue is suitable for a more ‘public meeting’ style event.

PLANNING – NEW EASTERN VILLAGES:

LOTMEAD APPEAL REFUSED: The Secretary of State today (13/6) dismissed both of Ainscough Strategic Land’s appeals against their proposals for two applications at Lotmead – one for 200 homes (now) and one for 2600+ to follow. Both were poor applications and the Planning team at Swindon Borough Council took the brave step to refuse the applications. Full costs were awarded to Swindon Borough Council! The site remains part of the New Eastern Villages allocation in the Local Plan and if a new application comes forward that is much better it should be approved – subject to the infrastructure and other requirements being met.

If residents have any questions or need to reach me, please call me on 790814 or email: gary@ridgewayvillages.co.uk for the quickest response.

Ridgeway Ward issues are updated on my website www.ridgewayvillages.co.uk

Thanks, Gary

Outline Planning Consent was granted tonight at Planning Committee for a development of 370 homes and a 2 form of entry Primary School and Convenience Store at Redlands in Wanborough.

The area was allocated for housing within the Local Plan and despite much opposition from both residents and the Parish Council (and myself) I found myself making the proposal to Grant permission at tonight's meeting.

I have secured some important concessions as the development will have automatic traffic counters to detect traffic coming from the development via Wanborough and in the event that the extremely low suggestion of vehicle movements is exceeded, then traffic measures including a permanent 'no left turn' to Wanborough from Redlands may be implemented.

Packed Village Hall in Wanborough for the January 2018 Parish Council meeting following their decision to object to a footpath which residents showed had been used for 120 years being made 'definitive'. This was despite a detailed dossier presented by village residents to the Parish Council they still failed to support the residents. The matter will now be passed to the Secretary of State for a decision.

Packed Village Hall in Liddington 4th October 2017 - a really positive meeting organised by the Parish Council - some lovely, constructive and well organised engagement where we discussed topics including Community Speedwatch, dog fouling, Neighbourhood Plans, highways 

“Pumphouse Lane - Badbury”

Residents contacted me as the drainage pipes had been broken, the narrow banks of teh lane were overgrown and the wrong types of vehicles were using it!

“Problem Solved - Pumphouse Lane in Badbury"

Following months of work we have had the lane widened thanks to the farmer who owns one side of the bank. Swindon Borough Council have installed new drainage pipes, new warning markers and new signage at the lane entrance.