One of the most challenging issues facing Swindon is development, and in particular the plans for thousands of new houses on our doorstep. In Stratton, the Eastern Development Area is a particular concern, with 12,000 houses being proposed for countryside just the other side of the A419. I was able to highlight these issues recently when I spoke in a Commons debate about Swindon’s future development. My particular interest lies in the ‘quality of life’ issues which massive new developments expose.
The first problem is the lack of open space associated with high-density developments. There is nowhere to throw down jumpers for goalposts; nowhere for young children's sporting activities; and nowhere for older children to let off steam. This in turn leads to increased levels of childhood obesity and, potentially, to antisocial behaviour, because their endless enthusiasm is not burned off.
The second problem is unadopted roads. Developers, as they sell houses on the new estates, make every effort with maintenance. But after the last house has been sold, and before the area is adopted by the Council, maintenance levels all too often fall away. It often takes far too long for areas to be adopted, and there is seemingly no incentive for developers to complete their task quickly. Despite the glossy sales brochures promising all sorts of glorious infrastructure, it either arrives late or not at all. On that issue, I would push for stronger powers to create a bond scheme, into which developers would have to pay in advance of a development. If they did not keep to pre-agreed levels of maintenance, the local authority could carry out the work and deduct the cost of it from the bond. That would encourage developers to secure the area's adoption quicker, because they would then be able to reclaim their bond. Let us not forget that, while the area is unadopted, local residents still pay council tax.
The government is moving in the right direction and I will be a strong advocate for these fundamental reforms, so that future development in Swindon does not repeat the mistakes of the past.