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Show imagination

IMAGINE being a fly on the wall of the latest council meeting , would you believe your ears (that’s if flies have ears)? Head of council says “okay councillors A, B and C you’ve had your turns on the transfer bridges, Greenbridge and Junction 16, let one of the others have a go; Councillor D, any ideas” well you couldn’t make it up could you?

Councillor D says as he turns to look at A, B and C “as you all know the traffic in Swindon is a nightmare so I thought we could spend the £5m we have knocking around now those nice people at that art gallery fiasco don’t need it and build a park and ride”.

Now I’m not opposed to park and ride and often use them in places I visit, a very useful thing to do in towns where parking is restricted or your not sure the way around the place, indeed well utilised in many places where people flock to enjoy the facilities these towns and cities have to offer.

Just goes to show what short memories and lack of knowledge these councillor bods have, because the very good park-and-ride facility at the bottom of Croft road was closed almost before it opened, and the one at Groundwell, which again was hardly ever used, is now more often than not giving the travelling community some nice hard-standing for their caravans.

£5m spent in the right way could easily breathe life into the town centre and sustain a vision to make the town grow over the next years. A town centre with a variety of small shops with something different to offer coupled with street-sellers, music and entertainers would attract more people.

It works in Bath, Brighton, Camden and many other forward-thinking places.

I wait with baited breath for Councillor D’s turn to pass and hope for the sake of the town that Councillor E has a tad more vision.

Kevin Edmonds, Covingham

It’s simple greed

IS there any possibility that anyone from SBC involved in the talks with Mike Ashley, the Sports Direct chief, could please explain why you (SBC) who are the landlords of the property once known as The House of Fraser could not come to an agreement to secure a rent deal to allow the store to remain open?

Mr Ashley has quoted that out of 31 stores earmarked for closure he or his company have managed to keep 15 of them open and another five have had their leases extended.

Mr Ashley managed to secure a deal on rents etc to keep those stores open, keep all those people in work and to make it a profitable option. Except Edinburgh, Hull and, of course, Swindon who, all three, have been branded “ Greedy Landlords”.

Mr Ashley’s company is still working on another 36 branches but I’m sure most landlords will say ‘ok let’s work something out to be able to keep those 36 stores open.

A little rent on a regular basis is better than nothing at all which is what you will be getting now. Nothing at all, just another empty shell of a shop.

Shame on you for being so greedy.

John L Crook, Haydon Wick, Swindon