Ask Away...

[Reg Smeeton]

It seems sadly like many have a small town attitude, and refuse to see the potential benefits that sucessful football club can offer the town

   The motives for seeking election to the Council are varied.....ranging from those who in effect it is their job, because of the expenses that can be claimed, through to those who are in effect the political wing of the Masons, to those who see it as a step up the greasy pole to a higher calling.

   There are even  a few who do it because they genuinely wish to improve the lot of their constituents.

[Batch]

I agree with you 100% Piemonte. But you shouldn't forget that some of the councilers are there to represent the people that voted them in. A cynic may say that to do otherwise would draw critisism and lose votes next time round. This isn't aimed at anyone in particular.

IMHO it is important to try and politely argue why blocking the development would negatively impact the whole town and beyond, not just the local community.

It is very frustrating as a fan that we take a step forward, e.g. the front garden, get blocked but convince the council to find a new site, get one recommended, then councilers change and we have to repeat the whole thing again. It seems like a never ending circle, except I fear it may end in the extinction of the club if we fail this time.

[JTomlinson]

It amazes me that there would be oposition from council members.

The athletics track is pretty much just that: a track with a few sand pits. its a pretty poor facility for a town of Swindon's size.

The Crictet gound could be more problematic as at least the cricket club has the pavillion.

It seems that other members of the council (not JT) are being very short sighted in their views.  Swindon does not have enough leisure facilities as it is, so the creation and/or updating of facilities ON COUNCIL OWNED LAND should be welcomed.

It seems sadly like many have a small town attitude, and refuse to see the potential benefits that sucessful football club can offer the town.

To be fair it is a little more complicated than that, however on a personal level I would agree.

I support the principle of this scheme not just because it would benefit the club / fans, but also it would help enhance facilities.  Local residents though have started to argue that they don't want to lose their open space.  (Whilst they don't use the cricket pitch and athletics track, they still consider it open space, hence why the Local Labour Cllr has highlighted them as the 'green lungs'  of the area)

[Piemonte]

The open space arguement falls flat on its face in my view. Theres not much benifit to the local community of having an open space if they can only use the one tiny area (next to the athletics track) which has poor drainage and is covered in the said residents dog shit anyway!

Lets face it, we live in a lrage town which is surrounded by some lovley countryside. If you want fresh air in the Swindon area you dont live in the town centre do you? you'd live in Highworth, Bassett, Wroughton etc.

[janaage]

Fresh air??  Highworth???   :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick

[Piemonte]

A non inbred family? in Calne?  :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick  

[janaage]

I come from Quemerford mate, not Calne!!  But agree with your sentiments though.

[ron dodgers]

There must be grants available - national and local - if the club build facilities for the community ie. all weather pitches - 50m swimming pool (oh yeah) - then surely everyone locally benefits (better than having green lungs in my view). Or maybe St Modwen can lend us the Longbridge site and we'll relocate!
Somebody do something ffs or we wont have a team soon!
What will SBC give the club for developing a top class sporting environment that is central for everyone in the borough (holding breath now)

[Reg Smeeton]

There must be grants available - national and local - if the club build facilities for the community ie. all weather pitches - 50m swimming pool (oh yeah) - then surely everyone locally benefits (better than having green lungs in my view). Or maybe St Modwen can lend us the Longbridge site and we'll relocate!
Somebody do something ffs or we wont have a team soon!
What will SBC give the club for developing a top class sporting environment that is central for everyone in the borough (holding breath now)

  Bormuff got half a mill off their Council in loans and grants, a couple of mill off a Government body and had to find 2 mill themselves...in order to do their 3 sided job.

  That they still had a wooden stand in the old ground up until a couple of years ago....wasa classic example of how local authorities view their football clubs differently.

  Speaking of which just over on the Bormuff Rivals site to see what they think of Lard Boy and found this......

  http://www.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=913&p=2&stid=8381235

  make of it what you will.

[jim]

There must be grants available - national and local - if the club build facilities for the community ie. all weather pitches - 50m swimming pool (oh yeah) - then surely everyone locally benefits (better than having green lungs in my view). Or maybe St Modwen can lend us the Longbridge site and we'll relocate!
Somebody do something ffs or we wont have a team soon!
What will SBC give the club for developing a top class sporting environment that is central for everyone in the borough (holding breath now)

  Bormuff got half a mill off their Council in loans and grants, a couple of mill off a Government body and had to find 2 mill themselves...in order to do their 3 sided job.

  That they still had a wooden stand in the old ground up until a couple of years ago....wasa classic example of how local authorities view their football clubs differently.

  Speaking of which just over on the Bormuff Rivals site to see what they think of Lard Boy and found this......

  http://www.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=913&p=2&stid=8381235

  make of it what you will.

Didnt I read the other week that Bristol CIty had an 800k grant to help refurbish one stand?

[Spencer_White]

Hows about a Casino / Strip dancing club (cleverly marketed in the Manchester road area    :-- ) could be a winner.

On a more serious note, what will the council do with the land when the club goes bust? Weve got about 2 seasons left now, so you might as well start licking the lips. Will it take 3 months or 4 to approve planning permission for 400 flats and houses on the area? Every time I see a councillor campaigning about a stadium its for the 'forest' or the 'newts', 'the noise', 'the soccer louts', or 'the traffic  :x  :x ', or someone connected to STFC farting in the wind. Yet the houses and the warehouses and the offices, the supermarkets and the bowling alleys, they get built.

To be honest I dont think weve got a hope in hell. Fuck me, we couldnt even put a roof on the bank.

Thanks for your efforts Mr Tomlinson, and I do appriciate you comming on here and its nothing personal. But some of us have no hope left, hell even the newts kick our arse. But I tell every councillor THIS. Swindon already has an image problem, its grown too fast and is getting labelled as a new town nowadays too often (I cant remmember it ever being called that 10 years ago). Weve got a long established football team here dating back to 1882, pre dating most other southern teams. It puts the town on the map. Look at the efforts Milton Keynes council went to get a football team (I dont like what they did but I DO know why they did it). I feel without us the reputation of this town as a cultural waste land will grow, and none of us want to see that.

HELP US, WE ARE DOOMED!

[Simon Pieman]

Swindon just seems to be a huge mass of houses with no facilities. Sure, it's great to get people to move into the area for the economy etc., however it lacks cultural appeal and facilities. The council is so poorly run in my opinion. It seems they want to build more houses just to raise revenue (from council tax) but surely you need to reinvest this in new schools and the like. For a change, why don't the council support something that benefits the whole community. The Elton John concert highlights the need for a better stadium and I haven't heard any Councillers moaning about that. Hey, it needn't be a stadium and sports facilities for the whole community to enjoy (although obviously I want this), why not a new library or theatre?

Swindon is a farce for facilities, everything is overdue an upgrade. Little wonder Swindon is seen as an 'average' town.

[Boeta]

Little wonder Swindon is seen as an 'average' town.

That's putting it nicely. Most people I know what call it a shithole.

[Simon Pieman]

Little wonder Swindon is seen as an 'average' town.

That's putting it nicely. Most people I know what call it a shithole.

Exactly

[Boeta]

i don't know why i put 'what' in the above post. please forgive me