confirmed

[Barry Scott]

We could do with a Council that doesn't think it's running a village. We could also do with a council capable of thinking for the town's future not the town's present. We need to be ran by radicals with vision, not idiots who strangle the town. We need people running the town who just build what they want, when they want it regardless of the idiots that oppose forward movement.

I know not whether most of our current problems are down to the council, but it'd be hard to imagine it being down to any other party, judging by their previous record. I'm also feeling saddened by the state of our town and the complete and total disregard by most of the population to embrace or believe anything will ever happen to improve things.

[Fred Elliot]

makes our doomed bid for City status a fucking joke

you can understand why we cannot entice new business into the area

[jonny72]

They've been talking about that re-development for the best part of 10 years and its not the first scheme to fall through. Not sure you can really blame the council though if no one wants to make the investment.

I still think our biggest problem is the lack of a university. It would bring shit loads of money to the town, a more educated work force, more companies and more lots of other things. Would make the town a lot more investable.

[Arriba]

we already have the companies though dont we? we were always told that swindon was europes fastest growing town.trouble is we grew, but nothing was done to improve the town.out of town shopping centres but the town centre more or less left as it was.now it's lagging behind other towns for that reason.

[Ardiles]

Someone might want to merge this thread with the one below.

http://thetownend.com/index.php/topic,31343.0.html

Deeply depressing.  Swindon really is the town that missed the boat...and the implications will be felt not just for years, but for decades.

Most of the employers that moved to the town in the 1980s boom are still there but the danger is that, over time, they will drift away.  (Why would you stay?  Dilapidated town centre, no local undergraduate population.)  When that happens, Swindon could quickly become the kind of town that young people feel they will need to leave to get on in life.  And then the downward spiral will accelerate alarmingly.

[LucienSanchez]

I assume the indoor snow slope etc will never happen either - thats gone very quiet. I went to Xscape in MK at the weekend, and although not perfect, it's a centre to be proud of. Cinema, ski slope, bowling alley, shops, restaurants, a pub, indoor sky-diving all under one roof.

[reeves4england]

Not so sure about the arguments over a university. Whilst it would potentially bring extra trade to the town, I'm not sure that having an offshoot of another university would actually make the population of Swindon more educated. There are universities in Bath, Bristol, Reading and Oxford which most people will go to if they are bothered about getting Higher Education. And let's face it, who would actually go to university for 3 years in one of those places and actually choose to STAY there?!

[tans]

they should just demolish all the town centre and build this

http://www.malloftheemirates.com/en/Default.aspx

best shopping place i have ever experienced

[Doore]

I assume the indoor snow slope etc will never happen either - thats gone very quiet. I went to Xscape in MK at the weekend, and although not perfect, it's a centre to be proud of. Cinema, ski slope, bowling alley, shops, restaurants, a pub, indoor sky-diving all under one roof.

Why is "all under one roof" a good thing? I actually think places like that are horrible, soulless places.  Everything you could ever need without going outside - presumably based on the assumption that going outside is a bad thing.  I always thought the only (and I mean only) benefit to going in to town was getting a bit of fresh air - these places even take that away.  

There is also nothing about MK to be proud of.  Nothing.

[red socks]

Someone might want to merge this thread with the one below.

http://thetownend.com/index.php/topic,31343.0.html

Deeply depressing.  Swindon really is the town that missed the boat...and the implications will be felt not just for years, but for decades.

Most of the employers that moved to the town in the 1980s boom are still there but the danger is that, over time, they will drift away.  (Why would you stay?  Dilapidated town centre, no local undergraduate population.)  When that happens, Swindon could quickly become the kind of town that young people feel they will need to leave to get on in life.  And then the downward spiral will accelerate alarmingly.

To be fair I think it aways been...

[LucienSanchez]

It's a good option to have, when the weather is atrocious and stuff. Anything that can get the kids away from the PS3 is beneficial...

[Samdy Gray]

ITV summed it up with their headline about Swindon being twinned with Disney World on the 10 o'clock news last night: "Why Swindon really is a bit Mickey Mouse".

[Doore]

If its raining, kids should be outside, getting wet.  As I recall that was great fun, lets not teach them that a bit of rain makes life stop.

[jonny72]

Even a relatively small university would bring 10,000 students, lecturers and other staff to the town. Which equals a shit load of money being spent in bars, clubs, shops and other places (maybe even at football clubs) all of which would give the town a big boost.

But its all the other things you get as well; libraries (potentially open to everyone), evening classes, music events, cheap accommodation in the summer, conferences, better educated population, cheap university option for local teenagers, cheap summer and evening workforce, loads of fit 18 year old birds to shag and a million other things.

I don't blame the council too much for the fucked up re-development. But they have royally fucked up countless times over the university. They should be focussing on it and kicking up with the government until they sort it out. I don't see why it needs to be part of another university either, why not a medical college tacked on to the hospital or a technical college supported by all the local hi-tech companies (Intel, Honda, BMW, Motorola, Nationwide etc).

[LucienSanchez]

If its raining, kids should be outside, getting wet.  As I recall that was great fun, lets not teach them that a bit of rain makes life stop.

That isn't what i'm saying at all, but feel free to continue to argue against my point in your irritatingly condescending way...