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Dilapidated building to go as part of vision
9:00am Thursday 25th February 2010
THE dilapidated former Swindon College site in the town centre should be demolished by the end of the year.
In its place will go a multi-million complex which will contain a supermarket, a seven-screen cinema along with bars and restaurants.
Swindon Council officials said they were hopeful that work would start this year along with the £250 million Union Square development, which should get planning permission in three months.
Leader of the council Rod Bluh and Gavin Jones, the chief executive, were speakers at Destination Swindon, a public meeting last night organised by the GWE Business West, at the De Vere Hotel at Shaw Ridge and chaired by the GWE’s Nicky Alberry.
More than 150 businessmen and women attended to hear the council’s 20-year vision for the town, a vision which had changed dramatically because of the recession.
Coun Bluh said that Swindon would be among the town’s in the UK who would lead the country out of recession because of the partnership it had developed with the private sector.
He said: “2010 will see us kicking off out of the recession because of the resilience we have here in Swindon.
“And in 2009 we had one of the best years in getting the name of the Swindon known better around the country – getting rid of the speed cameras, the Radio One weekend; the wi-fi launch which attracted interest from around the world and, of course, our twinning with Disneyworld.”
Mr Bluh said that progress would continue with the work going ahead this year and the council was confident with the Union Square development and the one at the Swindon College. Subject to approval by the council cabinet the New Swindon Company, which was responsible for regenerating the heart of the town, will be wound up at the end of March.
A new company – Forward Swindon – will be formed with a £1m start-up.
It will be given more responsibility and will have the regeneration of the town centre and Old Town among its priorities.
Mr Jones had said that it was time for Swindon to move on and, while the New Swindon Company was set up through the recommendation of a Government model, it was no longer suited to Swindon.
Businessman Mark Beard said it was important the council backed one of the major projects which had floundered – such as the university or the town centre redevelopment.
“If you go for all of them you might end up with none of them,” he said.
Mr Bluh said the town centre scheme was the most important.
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Your Say YourWiltshire
itsamess, swindon says...
9:11am Thu 25 Feb 10
robins69, swindon says...
9:17am Thu 25 Feb 10
Captain Sensible, Nowhere says...
9:18am Thu 25 Feb 10
Home Boy, Swindon says...
9:18am Thu 25 Feb 10
itsamess wrote:So you're saying they should just start now without planning permission?
All these schemes have been claimed to have been starting this year-same as the mecca etc--nothing happens--just new companies and more CEOs and committees to eat up any funds--B.S comes to mind.
Bobfm, South Marston says...
9:29am Thu 25 Feb 10
I have one question I think the Adver should ask. Whose million pounds is it.
pjohnson0410, Swindon says...
9:35am Thu 25 Feb 10
It should be called Forward but Backwards!
Casual Observer, Swindon says...
9:46am Thu 25 Feb 10
It will be given more responsibility and will have the regeneration of the town centre and Old Town among its priorities. "
I wouldn't mind so much if they gave us a money-back guarantee, £1m returned if they fail to do what they are paid for.
MarketZero, Swindon says...
9:47am Thu 25 Feb 10
itsamess, swindon says...
10:05am Thu 25 Feb 10
Tryreading the adver occasionally--they said time and again it was coming down and work was starting--its still there and likely to still be there next year. Just like all the other promises--then they shut one company down charged with re-generation with golden handshakes--for doing nothing--then start another--and another-and another and nothing gets done.
real -life, South Swindon says...
10:22am Thu 25 Feb 10
What a load of ****! Anyone who has had dealings with the likes of Crapita and the other "private sector partners" will know that their narrow minded money grabbing polices are actually doing the reverse and are ruining this town. When you add to that councillors who are more concerned with the sound of their own voices than getting things done and council managers still living in the dark ages with their "Manyana" attitudes, you can see why things never happen. I dont think we will be leading anyone out of the recession, we are stuck very firmly in it with no signs of improvement anywhere. As previous comments to other stories have said, this is a Mickey Mouse town with Dumbo and Goofy leading the way and Peter Pan not far behind. Does anyone beleive that WiFi will actually be up and running by the end of the year? Answers on a postcard to SBC, c/o The Titanic!!!!
Home Boy, Swindon says...
10:28am Thu 25 Feb 10
politicrat, swindon says...
10:48am Thu 25 Feb 10
Captain Sensible, Nowhere says...
10:57am Thu 25 Feb 10
Casual Observer, Swindon says...
11:03am Thu 25 Feb 10
http://www.getsignal
.co.uk/
Captain Sensible, Nowhere says...
11:06am Thu 25 Feb 10
Swindon_AOK, Swindon says...
11:46am Thu 25 Feb 10
Now that the University is dead and buried as well, the future of the town centre, in my opinion, is very bleak indeed.
politicrat, swindon says...
12:06pm Thu 25 Feb 10
Swindon_AOK wrote:Look I so appreciate your comment, you are certainly not the only one being frustrated by the lack of IQ in our council.
The point was well raised at the meeting - if the New Swindon Company failed to achieve town centre regeneration when that was its only target, how will Forward Swindon achieve regeneration across the whole of the town? Now that the University is dead and buried as well, the future of the town centre, in my opinion, is very bleak indeed.
Swindon could well cash in on the Outlet village, trying to make it a leisure and shopping attraction.
It wouldnt take much to make the journey for pedestrians from the train station to the Outlet a pleasant one, but right now it is horrid to walk from the train station.
Swindon council could push for nice bars and restaurants to settle near the outlet village and take advantage of the large car parks nearby and be like the Reading Oracle a place to shop and eat and drink whilst shopping and afterwards thanks to the proximity of the train station.
Instead, we have more flats being built!!!!
This is only an idea, One idea I am sure many people in Swindon would love to share their ideas with their council representatives, but what are the chances of being listened to and acted upon?
Jock Strap, Truss says...
1:03pm Thu 25 Feb 10
Nice dry cosy dossing areas to chill after me fix! Thank you Mr BlurUgh for this marvellous facility for the under privileged scroungers like meself to use for some time to come - we can be a blight on all the local businesses paying their taxes like good citizens but receiving precious little support to get us parasites fumigated and de-loused.
You top banana! you like a banana? Mr Bluh - I got banana for you!
PARKSOUTH PETE, says...
1:30pm Thu 25 Feb 10
politicrat, swindon says...
1:48pm Thu 25 Feb 10
PARKSOUTH PETE wrote:It is an idea, but unfortunately for the last 15 years, Labour has killed off manufacturing, engineering and R&D jobs in favour of financial services and public services jobs.
If we sacked 50% of public sector workers, thus bringing efficiency up to a more 21st century level, I’m sure Swindon would have money galore to build two universities, develop the whole town centre, and maybe launch a space exploration programme to fill the void created by NASA. After all, it's much cheaper to give the idiots job seekers allowance than to employ them, right?!
What we need now, is not to replace the civil servants going to retire, and instead make our economy less reliable on finance and public spending.
How?
Well reduce corporate tax, employer contributions, income tax, inheritance tax in order to attract the brightest minds: business leaders and scientists rather than the current hordes of 3rd world benefit seekers.
This would mean a reversal of the current labour social engineering, that I call Idiocracy
Grimwald, Swindon says...
1:49pm Thu 25 Feb 10
Maybe we should not believe all we read in the papers.
Still it would have been a nice out on the Tax payer, so why worry, who what why when or how - it may never happen sometime.
mug?, Swindon says...
4:01pm Thu 25 Feb 10
politicrat wrote:If we sacked Rod Bluh and removed the corruption from SBC, I'm sure Swindon would have money galore and have no need to put hundreds of people out of work.
PARKSOUTH PETE wrote:It is an idea, but unfortunately for the last 15 years, Labour has killed off manufacturing, engineering and R&D jobs in favour of financial services and public services jobs.
If we sacked 50% of public sector workers, thus bringing efficiency up to a more 21st century level, I’m sure Swindon would have money galore to build two universities, develop the whole town centre, and maybe launch a space exploration programme to fill the void created by NASA. After all, it's much cheaper to give the idiots job seekers allowance than to employ them, right?!
What we need now, is not to replace the civil servants going to retire, and instead make our economy less reliable on finance and public spending.
How?
Well reduce corporate tax, employer contributions, income tax, inheritance tax in order to attract the brightest minds: business leaders and scientists rather than the current hordes of 3rd world benefit seekers.
This would mean a reversal of the current labour social engineering, that I call Idiocracy
The conservatives would never dream of killing of any British industries. They won't join the EU, won't close all the mines, won't sell of all the countries assets...
The conservative won't make a complete mess of running SBC...
shoe-them
Wellfire, says...
5:05pm Thu 25 Feb 10
Mr Blackwell, Swindon says...
5:18pm Thu 25 Feb 10
.
The simple, yet truthful, answer is: they won't.
.
Five years from now they'll still have done nothing, still have squandered millions and will still be blaming the recession (or whatever else they can think of).
.
It's another total waste of time, money and resources. How this has been allowed to continue with only an expensive re-branding differentiating the two 'companies' is beyond me.
I Too, Swindon says...
5:23pm Thu 25 Feb 10
4:01pm Thu 25 Feb 10
"The conservatives would never dream of killing of any British industries. They won't join the EU, won't close all the mines, won't sell of all the countries assets...
The conservative won't make a complete mess of running SBC...
"
I think they already did, didn't they?
trustnopolitician, swindon says...
5:29pm Thu 25 Feb 10
Start something which wasn't thought through - get in a mess financial or otherwise and then blame anybody or anything for it
Next instalment coming up.
Blackmalkin, Blackmalkin says...
7:56pm Thu 25 Feb 10
Right, so there was convicted speeder Bluh's vendetta against the safety camera partnership (all about money), the Big Weekend that was supposed to be self-financing but cost taxpayers' money instead, the highly dubious wi-fi deal which needs investigating by the standards authorities and a Mickey Mouse joke.
I'm convinced, aren't you?
Fubar, Swindon says...
11:47pm Thu 25 Feb 10
So expect wifi circa 2012 when Team GB win the olympics (yeah right!)
I get my info not from the council,or getsignal, but from a man that works for them
Nice to see SBC & Co did a case study first :)
Fubar, Swindon says...
11:49pm Thu 25 Feb 10
Captain Sensible wrote:sorry was trying to quote capt Sensible, but the forum seemed to have failed.
Yeah whatever happened to the £500k SBC gave away to digital city? Anybody used the WIFI yet? Does it even work? I live in Highworth and dont know anybody who is using it. Perchance are Digital city directors sunning themselves in the Seychelles now using our money?
real -life, South Swindon says...
8:13am Fri 26 Feb 10
So expect wifi circa 2012 when Team GB win the olympics (yeah right!)
I get my info not from the council,or getsignal, but from a man that works for them
Nice to see SBC & Co did a case study first :)!!"""
I understand there are still "deadzones" in the Council offices where you cant get wifi (and I am not talking about the dinosaur managers either). It depends on where you sit in the building apparently, not that it really matters as most of the laptops SBC ordered for their staff are still in China! If SBC cant put their own house in order, what chance for the rest of us!
Anyone want to take bets on the old college still being there this time next year? Odds are 2/1 on at the moment.
railman16650, swindon says...
9:24pm Fri 26 Feb 10
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Mr Blackwell, Swindon says...
9:09am Thu 25 Feb 10
.
It's obvious that the public sector is still not living in the real world.
.
Still, let's see... they've said planning permission will take 3 months, that leaves them a full 7 months in which to pull down the old college before the end of 2010.
.
Hands up who thinks it'll still be there, a towering eye sore over the whole of the town centre, come 1st January 2011?
.
(And you just *know* this new waste of money quango nonsense will end up being referred to by all and sundry as, 'Backward Swindon'. They've really set themselves up there!)