Ditching shops will revamp town centre
5:29pm Tuesday 31st January 2012 in Your Say
Having read the piece on the plans for the future of the town centre in your paper, I thought it was time that someone with an objective view should be heard.
Instead of giving huge sums of money to companies to work out what we need in Swindon in the next 50 years, why don’t we just sit down as a council and think this thing through laterally?
l What are our problems in the town centre? Answer we have too many shops and not enough homes.
l How do we address this problem? Answer we change some of the shops back into their original use.
l How is this to be done? Answer we chose a number of streets in the town and run a 10 year trial.
Can I suggest something along these lines, Milton Road, Commercial Road, Victoria Road and Victoria Hill.
In all of these streets no new shops should be allowed to open and all empty shops should be returned to domestic usage, plus all shops in these streets should be given an incentive by the council to relocate into the town’s heart with financial help, thus taking up the surplus shops now boarded up.
With hundreds of families now moving back into the town houses, the centre would start to be relived in again and the perception of a waste land Regent Street would surely disappear.
Plus our housing waiting list would drop to manageable levels. If this idea works it could be extended to cover a larger area over the next 20 years or so.
We need to understand what is happening to our high streets and not fight against the inevitable.
The internet will expand so rapidly in the next ten years, the next generation will think nothing of buying a dress, shoes or groceries online that we now think of buying our car insurance or holidays on line and this will mean an ever decreasing shopping bag in the town centre.
Let’s start to adjust our thinking now and not wait until most of the shops are boarded up.
Let’s start planning for the future of the town now by downsizing slowly over the next generation and revitalising our town with much needed homes instead of empty shops.
Roy Cartwright Covingham Swindon
Ways to pay
Further to the councillors’ comments on the closure of the One Stop Shop in Wat Tyler House (Fresh blow to OAPs paying Council Tax, Adver, January 24), I am pleased to confirm that, by making it possible for council tax to be paid at post offices and shops with a PayPoint facility, the council is making it much more convenient for residents, including the elderly, who wish to pay in cash to do so.
There are 66 PayPoints in Swindon and 25 post offices. The PayPoints are mostly in residential areas, close to where people live, in neighbourhood shops, newsagents and convenience stores, and the vast majority are open from early morning until late at night, seven days a week.
That means that residents can make their payments in places and at times that are much more convenient for them.
Many who currently use the One Stop Shop will already be using PayPoint to make other cash payments, such as energy meter top-ups or paying their quarterly utility bills.
More than 10 million payments are made every week at the 23,5000 PayPoints throughout the UK, including several million for council tax.
Peter Brooker Head of Corporate Affairs Paypoint
...It’s worth it
Leaving aside the issue of whether one would believe the claim from officers and councillors that shutting the cashiers’ desk at Wat Tyler House will save £50,000 per year, what cannot be denied is that closing one payment point out of 60 cannot possibly be as catastrophic as some commentators would have your readers believe.
That it will cause some inconvenience to some people is undoubtedly true, it might even be that the primary group affected will be pensioners; however if it saves even £25,000 per year, surely a little inconvenience is a price worth paying?
Des Morgan Caraway Drive Swindon
Paras shame
I have just read in a national paper, that the Parachute Regiment may be under threat in the cutbacks by the Ministry of Defence.
The Paras are the same as any other infantry regiment, but no other regiment in the British Army, outside of the Army’s Air Corp, can muster a stronger force of brigades of all volunteers and trained parachutists. The people who make these moves in the MOD should be named and shamed. I’ll call them buffoons.
If this regiment is dealt with in this way, God help us.
T Cleverly Stafford Street Swindon
...Army dreamer
Regarding the New Year “dream” of H G Smith of Wroughton (Letters, January 17), I feel sure the majority of people agree with him, but as he says, it will only remain a pipedream.
One of the issues he mentioned, “The armed forces will never interfere in other nations wars, only to defend this country in case of threat”, is even more important, in view of the cuts to the number in the armed forces.
D Parsons Malvern Road Swindon
Puppy love
Would you like to help a visually impaired person get a better life and try to be as normal as sighted people?
Well you can by taking part in Guide Dogs “Name A Puppy” scheme, if you are a group of people, a business, an organisation or just an individual.
By donating £5,000, which pays for the first years training of a guide dog puppy, you can name the puppy, meet the puppy and get regular pupdates on the puppies training during its first year.
My guide dog Joy gave me my life back by giving me freedom, mobility, independence and confidence to do the things that sighted people do on a day-to-day basis, she is my guide, my eyes and a friend.
If you would like to join the scheme by donating £5,000, please contact Alan Fletcher on 01793-827589 or by email at shiralan@fletcas.freeserve.co.uk Alan Fletcher, Chair Swindon Guide Dogs Godwin Road
Give us venue
I too was lucky enough to get a ticket to see Alfie Boe at The Oasis on 18th January. He was fantastic, but I quite agree with C Hardiman (Letters, January 21).
A singer of his talent deserves a better venue than we have. We need a bigger theatre.
The Wyvern is lovely, but it is not big enough to attract the big names. It was utter chaos trying to get in and that made for a late start.
So, Swindon Council, stop wasting money on sculptures that nobody wants and large car parks that won’t be used, and give us something we do want.
Mrs L Townsend Redcliffe Street Swindon
Fight charges
I am writing this letter to let the public know how marvellous I was treated at the Great Western Hospital recently.
After being attended to in the assessment ward, I was then taken to the neurological rehabilitation centre into Orchard Ward and what a lovely place to be cared for.
I was very shocked to realise that all staff have to pay for car parking. I think it is disgusting and something should be done about this. I am hoping if you print my letter, and with enough public support, something may be done.
Mrs B Challice Harber Court Swindon
