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Not so forward looking

Many of your readers will be bemused at the antics surrounding Forward Swindon, the latest being a move to Wat Tyler House (SA 12 April). What many readers may not know is that Forward Swindon has become the council’s principal developer as opposed to its promotional and marketing arm. It is described as being focused on redeveloping and optimising returns on council-owned assets, speeding up the pace of development and driving quality into town centre regeneration that will realise wider economic and social benefits for Swindon.

It will come as no surprise that one of its former directors is Coun Garry Perkins the cabinet member for regeneration who suggests that the reason for the slow progress made in town centre regeneration is down to the “opposition wanting to play party political football with regeneration”. He then makes the incredible claim that if this situation had not been prevalent “We would have made more progress”. This claim is suspiciously very similar to the claim he made about his vaunted Digital City Wi-Fi plan in which £400k was frittered away, and despite his assurances to Cabinet colleagues has never been repaid.

One of Forward Swindon’s projects is the Mechanics Institute for which they claimed “Its restoration will transform perceptions of Swindon and the town centre.” The only problem is that nothing has actually been done to restore the building. Another is the Locarno site where Coun Perkin’s idea of progress is to clear the frontage of the detritus of a decade of inactivity and put up new hoardings; a typical out of sight, out of mind hopefulness.

Kimmerfields, a 20 acre prestige site is probably the clearest example of Coun Perkins failure as cabinet member for regeneration where a £15 million car park is the centre piece of what should be one of the biggest business space opportunities west of London.

A few short months ago Forward Swindon moved into new office accommodation at The Carriage Works, Emlyn Square, now they are moving to Wat Tyler House. The nomads are returning closer to their natural home – that being, fully integrated into the Council.

Oh, and just for the record Forward Swindon enticed the University of Wales to come to Swindon with a very generous incentive package.

Des Morgan, Caraway Drive, Swindon

Isolated at Easter

In 1933 I was diagnosed with diphtheria and rushed to the now demolished Isolation Hospital in Swindon. I sat on a chipped enamel bedpan in a ward with six other children. Relatives could only view through the windows.

When Easter arrived, my grandfather Alderman A E Harding, who had been the Mayor in 1924, brought me several Easter eggs which had to be shared with the other sick children.

Two years later our family moved to 29 Bath Road and frequently saw Diana Dors, nee Fluck, pass by our house wearing the green blazer of the private school 300 yards further along the road.

Ken Baylis, now 91, Nottingham

Force is with us

In light of the recent stabbing of Henry Vincent whilst he was robbing a pensioner, can anyone define “Reasonable Force” to defend yourself in your own home? These rules are usually made and upheld by liberal judges who have usually suffered nothing more terrible and upsetting than finding a fly in their chardonnay during their cossetted and privileged lives.

Luckily in this case Richard Osborn-Brooks has been released without charge yet will still face a life sentence of another kind. I know what the law says you can and cannot do. But I know for a fact if I found someone in my house trying to burgle me whilst threatening me with a screwdriver I would do anything I could to disable or kill him to protect myself and family. If you break into someone else’s property then you have put yourself outside the protection of the law as far as I’m concerned.

Roger Lack, North Swindon