In our endeavour to highlight the major problem of prostitution that blights a number of roads in our area, we arranged a meeting between residents that are particularly affected by this and Chief Superintendent Paul Howlett, Broadgreen NPT beat manager PC Paul Crouch and Richard Palusinski of the Crime and Disorder Team, to see if the problem could be eradicated once and for all. The outcome of the meeting was not exactly what the residents wanted to hear because a quick fix through the judicial system, CS Paul Howlett insisted, would not give us a long-term solution to street prostitution, but by tackling the underlying problem of drug dependency that most of the prostitutes have, along with targeting kerb crawlers and other associated crimes, he was confident that it could be successfully stopped. The Broadgreen Neighbourhood Police Team has already worked extremely hard to substantially reduce the number of ‘girls’ working on the streets.
Three SBC Cabinet Members also spent time in the Broadgreen Area recently. Deputy Leader of the Council Fionuala Foley, Cllr. Brian Mattock and Cllr. Colin Lovell met with a group of residents, walked the area and had a discussion about some of the problems here. We very much appreciate their visit and enjoyed a positive and friendly meeting. All three cabinet members have offered to come back and re-visit us in the near future.
The Community Council has organised a clean up day for the area on Saturday 2nd of August, this is in association with Swindon Council and the Broadgreen Police Team, as this column will probably not be published until after the event, a full report will follow in the September edition.
A couple of weeks ago the Goan Association put on a festival at the County Ground to celebrate their culture. A number of members of the Community Council were invited and had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. So congratulations to all concerned in organising this, their first festival in Swindon, and we look forward to many more.
The next monthly residents meetings are on the 6th August when the Parking Department will be guest speakers and the 3rd September. Meetings start at 7.30 pm at the Broadgreen Centre. There is no charge to attend meetings and all residents in the Broadgreen area are automatically members and are invited to attend.
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
MINUTES OF THE BSACC MEETING HELD AT BROADGREEN ON WEDNESDAY 2nd July 2008
PRESENT: Chair person Karen Leakey, Secretary, Kevin Leakey.
ALSO PRESENT:- 12 residents, Holly Huber SBC Community Planner, PCSO’s Stuart Bird and Rees Turner, John Taylor, Councillor’s Derique Montaut and Junab Ali.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE:- John Phillips minute secretary and 7 residents.
MATTERS ARISING: - None.
COMMUNITY POLICE REPORT:- The local priorities for the Broadgreen Area are still prostitution, drugs and litter. The Police are continuing to regularly patrol the area for prostitutes and kerb crawlers and this will be an ongoing priority. A prostitute was recently caught with a ‘client’ at the ISIS industrial estate.
Gerry Law from SBC’s Crime and Disorder Team has now completed the quality of life impact statements’ concerning prostitution and it is now hoped that they will be used to obtain Civil Injunctions against known prostitutes.
Problems at 113 Broad Street have now been dealt with and only 2 people should be living there, if more people seem to be living there, please let the Police know. 2 other properties are also being monitored in respect of drugs.
Litter, the Police are awaiting a clean up day.
A number of concerns were brought to the attention of the Police:
Children playing on the road in Broad Street, whenever the Police see this happening they make them go to the green to play.
Regular instances of people urinating in the back alleyways, during the day are being reported. If police see this happening they can issue fixed penalty tickets, not for urinating in a public place, but for depositing illegal litter, which is visible from the liquid!!!!One of the new streetlights in the S4L area of Salisbury Street has been broken in half by youths swinging on it. When it is replaced, could it be moved away from the large planter that was being used to climb onto the lamppost from?
GUEST SPEAKER: Holly Huber.
Holly updated the meeting on the progress of the Community Plan. The Terms Of Reference for the steering group has now been agreed and was unanimously endorsed by the meeting. A vision for the plan needs to be decided, i.e. what do people like or dislike about the area, what can be improved, protected etc, so the different elements of the plan can be formed. Everyone was asked to come up with words that described the area, what is good, what spoils it and what could be improved.
The words included: More activities, clean, more open space, seeing the Community work together, neighbourliness, a new state of the art community centre, crime free, Council to do their job and clean up the area, safe, feel a valued member of the community, no obstructions of the roads, paths and alleyways, better street lighting, lights in the alleyways, more trees, greenery and flowers, pride in the area, vibrant and fun, always busy and happy. Street scene spoiled by wheelie bins and recycle boxes in front gardens.
There were lots of overlaps with the words from the meeting and those given by the steering group and also from the July 2006 community engagement meeting, it is how lots of residents feel about the Broadgreen Area and from this a vision for the future can be put together. It was agreed that the terms of reference corresponded with what people wanted to see happening.An invitation was put out for all to come along to the monthly Saturday morning meetings, held on the last Saturday of the month.
CORRESPONDENCE:- Hatts coaches picking up people from County Road. They did not realise this has been happening and will make sure that in the future drivers pick up passengers from the County Ground car park. A Manager offered to come to Community Council meeting to apologise to residents for the inconvenience.
Rat baiting. SBC will not entertain waving the charges for rat baiting because it will open the floodgates for everybody with a problem, wanting a free service.
Parking in Manchester Rd. The Parking Attendants allow 5 minutes for cars waiting and 20 minutes for lorries to unload.
PLANNING APPLICATIONS:-
S/08/1258 - 128 County Road - Erection of external fire escape stairs - Application Pending Consideration
S/LDE/08/0939 - 64 Manchester Road - Certificate of Lawfulness for the existing use as to 2 no. flats.- Application Granted33 Rosebery St. The garage of this property is being converted into living accommodation. No planning permission has been applied for – Enforcement to investigate.
TREASURERS REPORT: The treasurer was not present and had not provided an up to date report.
GUEST SPEAKER:- John Taylor. Re Broadgreen History Project.
John and Kevin Leakey have been working on this project and have already engaged with Swindon Reference Library and the Chippenham based Swindon and Wiltshire History Centre and they are both more than willing to help at no cost.
It was unanimously agreed that the history group was a good idea and John and Kevin should pursue a lottery bid, for what will be at least a 3-year project that will hopefully develop and publicise the Broadgreen Area in a positive light. The history group will be a sub-committee of the BSACC.
Initially it was thought the area covered would be Corporation Street to County Road, but it was decided to extend the area to include the Queenstown Area, the County Ground and Shrivenham Road.
John has spoken to the Head Teacher at Drove School to see if pupils would like to be involved in some way, and In September years 5 or 6 will undertake a project on the history of the street names in the Broadgreen area.
The more people that become involved and make a contribution, the bigger the picture of Broadgreen will become. It is likely that in September a then and now photo exhibition will be put on to launch the project.
YOUTH REPORT:The youth workers from Skeetz Youth Club will be undertaking outreach work in the area over the next 6 weeks. The Community Council offered up some time at 6pm this evening for young people to bring their problems to the Community Council. Although nobody turned up, the offer is there for the youth to have a voice.
CHAIR REPORT:- Karen and Doug Imrie the Community Sports Coach are putting together a Broadgreen advice leaflet for residents, it will include information about being a good neighbour, useful phone numbers and do’s and don’ts, i.e. don’t play football on the streets etc.
New Council document that will affect communities ‘Connecting People Connecting Places’ is of some concern, as it seems to be very open to any interpretation that an individual wants it to mean. The town will be split into 6 clusters that will look at specific needs of an area and try to tailor the actions to suite, each cluster will likely be decided by secondary school catchment areas and chaired by the headmaster of the school, which for example would mean Broadgreen coming under the Churchfields area.
There will be a meeting on the 14th July with Chief Superintendent Paul Howlett, the BG Police team, drug workers, Richard Palusinski of The Crime and Disorder Team and invited residents, concerning the problems of prostitution in the area and to see if a joint effort could sort out the problems.
Three Cabinet members will be visiting the BG area on the 15th July, to have a walk around and chat with some residents about the area.
The drug workers that have been working from Maxwell Street are now also working from St. Luke’s hall. There are increasing problems being reported about their clients, including a fight last week. The problems are also coming from the breakfast and luncheon club clients, including drinking in the park and alleyways, and using the same areas as a public toilet.
Fly tipping is still an ongoing problem.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH REPORT:- St. Luke’s is being used as a drugs point. Taxi drivers from V cars and United Cars are parking in residents parking bays to take their lunch breaks and will not move if asked to do so. Ellison’s Coaches have been picking people up in Broad Street causing problems by parking in residents parking bays.
REPORT ON THE CENTRAL AREA ACTION PLAN (CAAP) ENQUIRY:- Parts relevant to the BG area.
The catchment areas for schools will be changing, but despite 2-300 new homes being proposed for the Central Area, there will be no need for a new Primary School until at least 2015 because not many 3 bedroom family homes will be built and any children that do move in can be accommodated and transported to other schools. It was asked where land for a new school could possibly be found in Central Swindon? Apparently the Council have land but it was not appropriate to confirm where.
Very few family homes are proposed for the Union Square development, the CAAP will try to create a balance between single units and family homes but the workability of this policy was challenged because so many family homes in Broadgreen are already being converted into flats and Houses In Multiple Occupancy (HMO’s) and this will continue at a fast rate.
Manchester Road is a main route in and out of town, and already has problems with unloading/deliveries and illegal parking by customers at the present shops. Although in the CAAP the stretch of road that is currently designated as a Major Local Centre for new shops has been reduced in size, it was questioned why the plan acknowledges that there will be an increase in traffic in the future, but does not take into account the parking problems, the noise and general disruption that will increase in the area, as more homes are converted into shops.
Stock deliveries to the shops that take place in the alleyways are not covered by the plan, but will form a minor part of the Councils Transport Strategy, but this is still in its infancy.
The CAAP is basically a skeleton with little actual detail in it, as it has to be flexible to cope with future changes.
WARD COUNCILLORS REPORT:- COUNCILLOR MONTAUT
Rubbish in Shrivenham Road. The problem has been raised, but it is a question of resources.
There is a wide problem with shopping trolleys in the area. The Council can pick them up and charge the supermarkets for doing so; Councillor Montaut has discussed it with the Director that is responsible for street scene.
Issues with taxis causing difficulties. Details of registration and licence numbers, location and times are needed because both Hackney and Private Hire can have their licences removed by the council.The issue was raised about drugs centres in St. Luke’s hall and Maxwell Street. It has not been resolved in Maxwell Street as they were refused planning permission, so councillors asked them to engage to find alternative premises, they have not done so and continue to operate and have therefore breached the planning regulations. There have been a number of meetings between councillors and residents on this issue and there will be another one on Saturday to try and resolve it.
These premises are not appropriate in residential areas but Cllr. Montaut believes it is a very worthy cause and is highly supportive of their objectives, just not the location. He is prepared to look at all the alternative locations, for example there are lots of empty shops in the town centre away from the residents, but it has to be in the Central Area as that is where all the drug users are. Milton Road is one suggestion but officers should be the ones to come forward with the ideas once members have identified the need for something to happen. Cllr. Wright has some specific properties and areas that he has identified, but hasn’t shared that information With Cllr. Montaut.
It was requested that both Cllrs. Montaut and Ali would support our community in not having a drug point in this area. Cllr. Montaut said that he agreed because as they had supported residents in Maxwell Street they would be morally obligated to help us and could not see that any new case or argument could be put forward for it to be based in the Broadgreen Area.
There has been an issue raised about low cost housing in the area. There is an ongoing political debate about the targets imposed by government but there is a difference in party positions on how best to meet the objectives.
A letter has been sent from the Leader of the Council concerning the Mechanics and it suggests that a consortium needs to be set up to look into alternative uses for the building. Cllr. Montaut has a meeting this week with Mathew Singh, the owner and it is hoped he may be able to say what his intentions are with the building.
It was asked why nothing is ever done about the parking in the alleyways or why the same problems come up time and time again without being sorted out. Cllr. Montaut replied: There is lots of good work going on behind the scenes and despite sometimes moaning about the meetings he goes to, the community plan is about making life better for the future, so it is a great place to live and work in. Yes, you can identify 101 issues concerning the community but as a councillor you cannot resolve them in isolation or with colleagues. If you identify a problem, littering for example, then report it to the council, if you don’t get a satisfactory response then pass the details to your councillors and they will take it on.
He and council officers have spoken to traders in the area concerning the problems that parking on the pavements and wheelie bins cause and believes there has now been some improvement. There have been lots of little actions taking place in lots of different areas and he is excited about a lot of things that are happening in this area. When the issues that he is made aware of come up at relevant meetings he raises them, but as some of the cabinet members are visiting the area this week, tell them about the continual problems then may be you might get something done, a bit more.
The Councillors job is as a facilitator, residents do the work to resolve the problems in their area without the councillors, and then when it breaks down it is the councillor’s job to make things happen. But what you can do about problems is continue what you are doing, having strong Communities and strong Community Leaders.
Councillor Ali declined to give ward report.
STREET WATCH REPORT: No report.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS: None.
Meeting closed at 9.00 pm
Date of next meeting: Wednesday 6 August 2008
ALSO PRESENT:- 12 residents, Holly Huber SBC Community Planner, PCSO’s Stuart Bird and Rees Turner, John Taylor, Councillor’s Derique Montaut and Junab Ali.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE:- John Phillips minute secretary and 7 residents.
MATTERS ARISING: - None.
COMMUNITY POLICE REPORT:- The local priorities for the Broadgreen Area are still prostitution, drugs and litter. The Police are continuing to regularly patrol the area for prostitutes and kerb crawlers and this will be an ongoing priority. A prostitute was recently caught with a ‘client’ at the ISIS industrial estate.
Gerry Law from SBC’s Crime and Disorder Team has now completed the quality of life impact statements’ concerning prostitution and it is now hoped that they will be used to obtain Civil Injunctions against known prostitutes.
Problems at 113 Broad Street have now been dealt with and only 2 people should be living there, if more people seem to be living there, please let the Police know. 2 other properties are also being monitored in respect of drugs.
Litter, the Police are awaiting a clean up day.
A number of concerns were brought to the attention of the Police:
Children playing on the road in Broad Street, whenever the Police see this happening they make them go to the green to play.
Regular instances of people urinating in the back alleyways, during the day are being reported. If police see this happening they can issue fixed penalty tickets, not for urinating in a public place, but for depositing illegal litter, which is visible from the liquid!!!!One of the new streetlights in the S4L area of Salisbury Street has been broken in half by youths swinging on it. When it is replaced, could it be moved away from the large planter that was being used to climb onto the lamppost from?
GUEST SPEAKER: Holly Huber.
Holly updated the meeting on the progress of the Community Plan. The Terms Of Reference for the steering group has now been agreed and was unanimously endorsed by the meeting. A vision for the plan needs to be decided, i.e. what do people like or dislike about the area, what can be improved, protected etc, so the different elements of the plan can be formed. Everyone was asked to come up with words that described the area, what is good, what spoils it and what could be improved.
The words included: More activities, clean, more open space, seeing the Community work together, neighbourliness, a new state of the art community centre, crime free, Council to do their job and clean up the area, safe, feel a valued member of the community, no obstructions of the roads, paths and alleyways, better street lighting, lights in the alleyways, more trees, greenery and flowers, pride in the area, vibrant and fun, always busy and happy. Street scene spoiled by wheelie bins and recycle boxes in front gardens.
There were lots of overlaps with the words from the meeting and those given by the steering group and also from the July 2006 community engagement meeting, it is how lots of residents feel about the Broadgreen Area and from this a vision for the future can be put together. It was agreed that the terms of reference corresponded with what people wanted to see happening.An invitation was put out for all to come along to the monthly Saturday morning meetings, held on the last Saturday of the month.
CORRESPONDENCE:- Hatts coaches picking up people from County Road. They did not realise this has been happening and will make sure that in the future drivers pick up passengers from the County Ground car park. A Manager offered to come to Community Council meeting to apologise to residents for the inconvenience.
Rat baiting. SBC will not entertain waving the charges for rat baiting because it will open the floodgates for everybody with a problem, wanting a free service.
Parking in Manchester Rd. The Parking Attendants allow 5 minutes for cars waiting and 20 minutes for lorries to unload.
PLANNING APPLICATIONS:-
S/08/1258 - 128 County Road - Erection of external fire escape stairs - Application Pending Consideration
S/LDE/08/0939 - 64 Manchester Road - Certificate of Lawfulness for the existing use as to 2 no. flats.- Application Granted33 Rosebery St. The garage of this property is being converted into living accommodation. No planning permission has been applied for – Enforcement to investigate.
TREASURERS REPORT: The treasurer was not present and had not provided an up to date report.
GUEST SPEAKER:- John Taylor. Re Broadgreen History Project.
John and Kevin Leakey have been working on this project and have already engaged with Swindon Reference Library and the Chippenham based Swindon and Wiltshire History Centre and they are both more than willing to help at no cost.
It was unanimously agreed that the history group was a good idea and John and Kevin should pursue a lottery bid, for what will be at least a 3-year project that will hopefully develop and publicise the Broadgreen Area in a positive light. The history group will be a sub-committee of the BSACC.
Initially it was thought the area covered would be Corporation Street to County Road, but it was decided to extend the area to include the Queenstown Area, the County Ground and Shrivenham Road.
John has spoken to the Head Teacher at Drove School to see if pupils would like to be involved in some way, and In September years 5 or 6 will undertake a project on the history of the street names in the Broadgreen area.
The more people that become involved and make a contribution, the bigger the picture of Broadgreen will become. It is likely that in September a then and now photo exhibition will be put on to launch the project.
YOUTH REPORT:The youth workers from Skeetz Youth Club will be undertaking outreach work in the area over the next 6 weeks. The Community Council offered up some time at 6pm this evening for young people to bring their problems to the Community Council. Although nobody turned up, the offer is there for the youth to have a voice.
CHAIR REPORT:- Karen and Doug Imrie the Community Sports Coach are putting together a Broadgreen advice leaflet for residents, it will include information about being a good neighbour, useful phone numbers and do’s and don’ts, i.e. don’t play football on the streets etc.
New Council document that will affect communities ‘Connecting People Connecting Places’ is of some concern, as it seems to be very open to any interpretation that an individual wants it to mean. The town will be split into 6 clusters that will look at specific needs of an area and try to tailor the actions to suite, each cluster will likely be decided by secondary school catchment areas and chaired by the headmaster of the school, which for example would mean Broadgreen coming under the Churchfields area.
There will be a meeting on the 14th July with Chief Superintendent Paul Howlett, the BG Police team, drug workers, Richard Palusinski of The Crime and Disorder Team and invited residents, concerning the problems of prostitution in the area and to see if a joint effort could sort out the problems.
Three Cabinet members will be visiting the BG area on the 15th July, to have a walk around and chat with some residents about the area.
The drug workers that have been working from Maxwell Street are now also working from St. Luke’s hall. There are increasing problems being reported about their clients, including a fight last week. The problems are also coming from the breakfast and luncheon club clients, including drinking in the park and alleyways, and using the same areas as a public toilet.
Fly tipping is still an ongoing problem.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH REPORT:- St. Luke’s is being used as a drugs point. Taxi drivers from V cars and United Cars are parking in residents parking bays to take their lunch breaks and will not move if asked to do so. Ellison’s Coaches have been picking people up in Broad Street causing problems by parking in residents parking bays.
REPORT ON THE CENTRAL AREA ACTION PLAN (CAAP) ENQUIRY:- Parts relevant to the BG area.
The catchment areas for schools will be changing, but despite 2-300 new homes being proposed for the Central Area, there will be no need for a new Primary School until at least 2015 because not many 3 bedroom family homes will be built and any children that do move in can be accommodated and transported to other schools. It was asked where land for a new school could possibly be found in Central Swindon? Apparently the Council have land but it was not appropriate to confirm where.
Very few family homes are proposed for the Union Square development, the CAAP will try to create a balance between single units and family homes but the workability of this policy was challenged because so many family homes in Broadgreen are already being converted into flats and Houses In Multiple Occupancy (HMO’s) and this will continue at a fast rate.
Manchester Road is a main route in and out of town, and already has problems with unloading/deliveries and illegal parking by customers at the present shops. Although in the CAAP the stretch of road that is currently designated as a Major Local Centre for new shops has been reduced in size, it was questioned why the plan acknowledges that there will be an increase in traffic in the future, but does not take into account the parking problems, the noise and general disruption that will increase in the area, as more homes are converted into shops.
Stock deliveries to the shops that take place in the alleyways are not covered by the plan, but will form a minor part of the Councils Transport Strategy, but this is still in its infancy.
The CAAP is basically a skeleton with little actual detail in it, as it has to be flexible to cope with future changes.
WARD COUNCILLORS REPORT:- COUNCILLOR MONTAUT
Rubbish in Shrivenham Road. The problem has been raised, but it is a question of resources.
There is a wide problem with shopping trolleys in the area. The Council can pick them up and charge the supermarkets for doing so; Councillor Montaut has discussed it with the Director that is responsible for street scene.
Issues with taxis causing difficulties. Details of registration and licence numbers, location and times are needed because both Hackney and Private Hire can have their licences removed by the council.The issue was raised about drugs centres in St. Luke’s hall and Maxwell Street. It has not been resolved in Maxwell Street as they were refused planning permission, so councillors asked them to engage to find alternative premises, they have not done so and continue to operate and have therefore breached the planning regulations. There have been a number of meetings between councillors and residents on this issue and there will be another one on Saturday to try and resolve it.
These premises are not appropriate in residential areas but Cllr. Montaut believes it is a very worthy cause and is highly supportive of their objectives, just not the location. He is prepared to look at all the alternative locations, for example there are lots of empty shops in the town centre away from the residents, but it has to be in the Central Area as that is where all the drug users are. Milton Road is one suggestion but officers should be the ones to come forward with the ideas once members have identified the need for something to happen. Cllr. Wright has some specific properties and areas that he has identified, but hasn’t shared that information With Cllr. Montaut.
It was requested that both Cllrs. Montaut and Ali would support our community in not having a drug point in this area. Cllr. Montaut said that he agreed because as they had supported residents in Maxwell Street they would be morally obligated to help us and could not see that any new case or argument could be put forward for it to be based in the Broadgreen Area.
There has been an issue raised about low cost housing in the area. There is an ongoing political debate about the targets imposed by government but there is a difference in party positions on how best to meet the objectives.
A letter has been sent from the Leader of the Council concerning the Mechanics and it suggests that a consortium needs to be set up to look into alternative uses for the building. Cllr. Montaut has a meeting this week with Mathew Singh, the owner and it is hoped he may be able to say what his intentions are with the building.
It was asked why nothing is ever done about the parking in the alleyways or why the same problems come up time and time again without being sorted out. Cllr. Montaut replied: There is lots of good work going on behind the scenes and despite sometimes moaning about the meetings he goes to, the community plan is about making life better for the future, so it is a great place to live and work in. Yes, you can identify 101 issues concerning the community but as a councillor you cannot resolve them in isolation or with colleagues. If you identify a problem, littering for example, then report it to the council, if you don’t get a satisfactory response then pass the details to your councillors and they will take it on.
He and council officers have spoken to traders in the area concerning the problems that parking on the pavements and wheelie bins cause and believes there has now been some improvement. There have been lots of little actions taking place in lots of different areas and he is excited about a lot of things that are happening in this area. When the issues that he is made aware of come up at relevant meetings he raises them, but as some of the cabinet members are visiting the area this week, tell them about the continual problems then may be you might get something done, a bit more.
The Councillors job is as a facilitator, residents do the work to resolve the problems in their area without the councillors, and then when it breaks down it is the councillor’s job to make things happen. But what you can do about problems is continue what you are doing, having strong Communities and strong Community Leaders.
Councillor Ali declined to give ward report.
STREET WATCH REPORT: No report.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS: None.
Meeting closed at 9.00 pm
Date of next meeting: Wednesday 6 August 2008
BROADLY SPEAKING JULY 2008
The Broadgreen Centre play park and recreation area is provided for all residents to use and enjoy. Unfortunately there have been a number of worrying reports that people are being made to feel very unwelcome by some of the young people that use the area. We request that parents whose children use the park without adult supervision, make their offspring aware that they should not expect to enjoy exclusive access to the area and that it is there for everyone, no matter who they are.
Following talks between Swindon Borough Council and the Community Council, SBC have agreed to a resident clean up day for the Broadgreen Area and have offered their support. Fly tipping, bin bags and litter only serves to give a negative perception of our area and so we hope residents will be prepared to give up a couple of hours of their time to spruce up the area. You never know, it may encourage other residents to be more considerate to their neighbours and take a bit more pride in the area that we all live in. Further details of date and time will be forthcoming in the near future.
The Broadgreen Community Plan meetings are continuing on the last Saturday of each month. The July meeting will be held on Saturday 26th, in the lounge at the Broadgreen Centre and the theme will be Landscape & Open Spaces. All residents from the area are invited to come along and join in.
A number of residents in the area have started Neighbourhood Watch Schemes in their roads. As well as the more obvious benefit of knowing that people are keeping a closer eye on what is going on in the immediate vicinity of their homes, it is also a great way for neighbours to get to know each other a bit better and tackle problems together. The NWS liaison officer is Margaret Anscombe, any residents wishing to start their own scheme can contact Margaret directly on 01793 507864 www.nhw-wilts.org.uk
The next monthly residents meetings are on the 2nd July and the 6th August, 7.30 pm at the Broadgreen Centre. There is no charge to attend meetings and all residents in the Broadgreen area are automatically members and are invited to attend.
BROADLY SPEAKING JUNE 2008
Following on from last year’s Cohesion Event and thanks to a grant from the Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation, and generous donations from Planet Bollywood and John Taylor MBE, the Community Council were able to put on another highly successful afternoon at the Broadgreen Centre. Officially opened by Swindon Borough Councils Director of Communities Chris Sivers, many people from the area came together and enjoyed an afternoon of top class entertainment in the hall from the Great Western Youth Band and the Charlotte Johnson School of Dance and Musical Theatre.
Once again we were blessed with marvellous weather and in the park we were able to hold not only a cycling safety event, but also Jake the Juggler and his unicycles, juggling clubs and diablo’s amongst other things, for all to try out plus Swindon Town’s Football in the Community team who held a target practice session.
Unfortunately the bouncy castle didn’t turn up, but enthusiasm didn’t wane because the 5-aside football competition, organised by community sports coach Doug Imrie, kept dozens of youngsters entertained in some hard fought battles of skill and determination.
Finishing off with free multi-cultural food, which was enjoyed by young and old alike, community poet Tony Hillier captured this and the whole afternoons events in his own unique style.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who gave up their time in organising and putting on the event and equally all the residents that came along and made it a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.
Please note our monthly residents meetings are now held on the first Wednesday of every month in the lounge at the Broadgreen Centre, Salisbury Street, 7.30 pm start. Don’t miss out on your chance to have your say about the area, there is no membership charge or fee to attend the monthly meetings and all residents in the Broadgreen area are automatically members and are invited and encouraged to attend. Residents who cannot attend the main meeting or would rather speak privately to a Community Council representative will now have the chance to do so as we will be available between 6.00 pm and 7.30 pm, before our monthly meetings.
Once again we were blessed with marvellous weather and in the park we were able to hold not only a cycling safety event, but also Jake the Juggler and his unicycles, juggling clubs and diablo’s amongst other things, for all to try out plus Swindon Town’s Football in the Community team who held a target practice session.
Unfortunately the bouncy castle didn’t turn up, but enthusiasm didn’t wane because the 5-aside football competition, organised by community sports coach Doug Imrie, kept dozens of youngsters entertained in some hard fought battles of skill and determination.
Finishing off with free multi-cultural food, which was enjoyed by young and old alike, community poet Tony Hillier captured this and the whole afternoons events in his own unique style.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who gave up their time in organising and putting on the event and equally all the residents that came along and made it a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.
Please note our monthly residents meetings are now held on the first Wednesday of every month in the lounge at the Broadgreen Centre, Salisbury Street, 7.30 pm start. Don’t miss out on your chance to have your say about the area, there is no membership charge or fee to attend the monthly meetings and all residents in the Broadgreen area are automatically members and are invited and encouraged to attend. Residents who cannot attend the main meeting or would rather speak privately to a Community Council representative will now have the chance to do so as we will be available between 6.00 pm and 7.30 pm, before our monthly meetings.
BROADLY SPEAKING MAY 2008
The Broad Street Area Community Council has been representing the residents of the Broadgreen area for over 35 years. In this time the area has seen many changes, and in recent years the biggest change has been the influx of people from all over the globe, making this area the most ethnically diverse area in Swindon and indeed probably Wiltshire. The community council is your local residents association and despite the many changes, remains the one body striving for improvements in this area for everyone. All people living in Broadgreen are automatically members and are welcome to come to our monthly meetings and bring their problems and concerns to the table, so we can continue improving the quality of life for all.
We have re-launched our Broadgreen Community Archive project and are pursuing funding from the lottery. We are looking for a wide participation in this project, encompassing both young and old, male and female and across the spectrum of cultures, in a bid to conserve and enhance our diverse heritage and leave a lasting history for future generations.
You may have noticed that the old fence around the Broadgreen Centre has been removed and is being replaced by shorter looped top fencing, this is part of the final stage of the Streets For Living project and will also include replacement goal posts and a community garden at the Centre.
Please note our monthly residents meetings are now on the first Wednesday of every month, instead of the second Wednesday. They will still be held in the lounge at the Broadgreen Centre, 7.30 pm start and all residents in the Broadgreen area are invited and encouraged to attend.
Residents who cannot attend the main meeting or would rather speak privately to a Community Council representative will now have the chance to do so as we will be available between 6.00 pm and 7.30 pm, before our monthly meetings.
We have re-launched our Broadgreen Community Archive project and are pursuing funding from the lottery. We are looking for a wide participation in this project, encompassing both young and old, male and female and across the spectrum of cultures, in a bid to conserve and enhance our diverse heritage and leave a lasting history for future generations.
You may have noticed that the old fence around the Broadgreen Centre has been removed and is being replaced by shorter looped top fencing, this is part of the final stage of the Streets For Living project and will also include replacement goal posts and a community garden at the Centre.
Please note our monthly residents meetings are now on the first Wednesday of every month, instead of the second Wednesday. They will still be held in the lounge at the Broadgreen Centre, 7.30 pm start and all residents in the Broadgreen area are invited and encouraged to attend.
Residents who cannot attend the main meeting or would rather speak privately to a Community Council representative will now have the chance to do so as we will be available between 6.00 pm and 7.30 pm, before our monthly meetings.
MINUTES OF THE BSACC MEETING HELD AT BROADGREEN ON WEDNESDAY 2nd April 2008
PRESENT: - Chairperson:- Karen Leakey; Vice Chair & Treasurer: - Richard Coates;
Secretary: - Kevin Leakey; Minute Secretary: - John Phillips;
ALSO PRESENT:- 10 residents, Ward Cllr. Derique Montaut; Holly Huber; Ray Aldridge, Canal Trust.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE:- 10 residents.
John Phillips asked to speak to the meeting before starting the meeting proper. Because of recent factions from people outside the Community Council and from some Leaders of the Community, John wished to propose a Vote of Confidence in the Chair, Karen Leaky. Derek Sutton seconded the proposal and all those present showed their full support for the Chair.
John thanked the meeting for their support and said hopefully we will be able to do something about the problem and quickly move on.
Cllr. Derique Montaut asked if he could be told what this was about. Karen responded that she was completely unaware that John was going to ask the meeting for this Vote of Confidence and moved on to welcome everyone to tonight's meeting.
CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES of 12th March 2008.
These Minutes were confirmed and signed a true record. Proposed Mrs. Celia Cotton and seconded by Mr. Derek Sutton.
Karen, with the help of Ishmael explained that for a while now, the representatives of Bond have been acting outside the original concept laid down by the Joseph Rowntree Trust. The Trust granted monies to produce a multi lingual newsletter aimed to bring all the peoples of the area together. It was hoped to achieve this goal at the end of a three-year period. After the three years the balance of the monies was taken over by BOND, as we now know.
The Ward Councillor said he had concerns, in the short time he has known and worked with the CC he could and has only complemented the Chair and the members of the CC and the wider community would lose out if it lost the CC. This was not the way forward. To have fractions within the community, he would be very disappointed. Derique offered his support if it was needed.
After some discussion it was decided to call BOND around the table with Officers of the CC with an independent Chair.
MATTERS ARISING: - There were no matters arising.
GUEST SPEAKERS:- The Canal Trust spokesman Ray Aldridge said there were many misconceptions with regards to the proposed canal through Swindon Town Centre.
Six years ago it was decided to reopen the canal from between Trowbridge and Abingdon passing through Swindon. The entrance to part of the canal has already been opened at Abingdon with the help of many agencies making this possible.
Originally the proposed canal would have been from the bottom of Kingshill to Farnsby Street and Canal Walk, Fleming Way to the Magic Roundabout and on behind Shrivenham Road to Greenbridge and on to Acorn Bridge.
The Canal would also branch off at a point near John's Street and then under the railway following its original route towards Cricklade, making for a very favoured circular route for the boats from as far away as the midlands.
There is no doubt whatsoever that the canal will be built. Not with anyone's money but European and government grants. The question is does it go through the town or around the town.
Having walked the route six years ago there was no problem with the then proposed route but Swindon Council sold off the town Centre and the regeneration and new owners did not approve of the canal through the town centre.
One year ago Swindon Borough Council invited the Trust to once again think of going through the town centre but three new buildings have appeared on top of the route. The Borough, not the Trust, then decided that they were going to close Westcott Place and could the Trust use that as a route through town. It is not the canal closing roads it is the Swindon Borough council.
Ray answered many questions, on flooding rubbish drunks etc.
Brunel's railway made canals redundant. Today there is a huge demand for recreational use and some industrial use of a canal. More money about and a lot more leisure time. There is a huge demand for berths, on existing old and new canals they are at a premium, perhaps £5,000 /year each boat. Yes it will cost billions to build but potential income is enormous.
Ray closed by asking people to visit the shop in Theatre Square, which is open Friday and Saturday 10.00 to 4. 00pm.
Secretary: - Kevin Leakey; Minute Secretary: - John Phillips;
ALSO PRESENT:- 10 residents, Ward Cllr. Derique Montaut; Holly Huber; Ray Aldridge, Canal Trust.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE:- 10 residents.
John Phillips asked to speak to the meeting before starting the meeting proper. Because of recent factions from people outside the Community Council and from some Leaders of the Community, John wished to propose a Vote of Confidence in the Chair, Karen Leaky. Derek Sutton seconded the proposal and all those present showed their full support for the Chair.
John thanked the meeting for their support and said hopefully we will be able to do something about the problem and quickly move on.
Cllr. Derique Montaut asked if he could be told what this was about. Karen responded that she was completely unaware that John was going to ask the meeting for this Vote of Confidence and moved on to welcome everyone to tonight's meeting.
CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES of 12th March 2008.
These Minutes were confirmed and signed a true record. Proposed Mrs. Celia Cotton and seconded by Mr. Derek Sutton.
Karen, with the help of Ishmael explained that for a while now, the representatives of Bond have been acting outside the original concept laid down by the Joseph Rowntree Trust. The Trust granted monies to produce a multi lingual newsletter aimed to bring all the peoples of the area together. It was hoped to achieve this goal at the end of a three-year period. After the three years the balance of the monies was taken over by BOND, as we now know.
The Ward Councillor said he had concerns, in the short time he has known and worked with the CC he could and has only complemented the Chair and the members of the CC and the wider community would lose out if it lost the CC. This was not the way forward. To have fractions within the community, he would be very disappointed. Derique offered his support if it was needed.
After some discussion it was decided to call BOND around the table with Officers of the CC with an independent Chair.
MATTERS ARISING: - There were no matters arising.
GUEST SPEAKERS:- The Canal Trust spokesman Ray Aldridge said there were many misconceptions with regards to the proposed canal through Swindon Town Centre.
Six years ago it was decided to reopen the canal from between Trowbridge and Abingdon passing through Swindon. The entrance to part of the canal has already been opened at Abingdon with the help of many agencies making this possible.
Originally the proposed canal would have been from the bottom of Kingshill to Farnsby Street and Canal Walk, Fleming Way to the Magic Roundabout and on behind Shrivenham Road to Greenbridge and on to Acorn Bridge.
The Canal would also branch off at a point near John's Street and then under the railway following its original route towards Cricklade, making for a very favoured circular route for the boats from as far away as the midlands.
There is no doubt whatsoever that the canal will be built. Not with anyone's money but European and government grants. The question is does it go through the town or around the town.
Having walked the route six years ago there was no problem with the then proposed route but Swindon Council sold off the town Centre and the regeneration and new owners did not approve of the canal through the town centre.
One year ago Swindon Borough Council invited the Trust to once again think of going through the town centre but three new buildings have appeared on top of the route. The Borough, not the Trust, then decided that they were going to close Westcott Place and could the Trust use that as a route through town. It is not the canal closing roads it is the Swindon Borough council.
Ray answered many questions, on flooding rubbish drunks etc.
Brunel's railway made canals redundant. Today there is a huge demand for recreational use and some industrial use of a canal. More money about and a lot more leisure time. There is a huge demand for berths, on existing old and new canals they are at a premium, perhaps £5,000 /year each boat. Yes it will cost billions to build but potential income is enormous.
Ray closed by asking people to visit the shop in Theatre Square, which is open Friday and Saturday 10.00 to 4. 00pm.
- CORRESPONDENCE:-
Final Consultation notice re Wilts & Swindon Waste & Mineral Core Strategies ends May 14th 2008. - Consultation notice re Preferred Options Paper, Swindon Core Strategy, ends 12 May 2008. Will be Guest Speakers at May's Community Council Meeting.
- Details & application form for this Community Council to join the Swindon Federation of Community Organisations has been completed & returned.
- Again a fish problem at 7 to 11 shop in Broad Street has been reported and is being dealt with by Steve Harcourt.
- Mark Feeny has been contacted re Cohesion funding. Awaiting a reply.
Planning Applications:-
1. S/ADV/08/0153. Former Red-Star Delivery/Collection Office, Signal Point, Station Road. Display of temporary banners (Retrospective). Application Refused.
2. S/08/0542. 48 Manchester Road. Conversion of dwelling into ground floor shop and 1 no.flat, including erection of single storey front/rear extensions. Application pending Consideration.
3. S/08/0 196. 64 Manchester Road. Change of use of ground floor from shop (Class AI) to shop & restaurant (Class AI/B) (Retrospective). Application Granted.
4. S/08/0105. 133/135 Manchester Road. Erection offront canopy. Application Granted. 5. S/08/0204. 123 Manchester Road. Erection of an outbuilding. Application granted.
6. S/08/0165. 125 Manchester Road. Change of use from outbuilding to Gents Hair Salon extension to Rage salon to front. Application Granted.
A planning appeal was successful in 2002 concerning the change of use of 125 Manchester Road to retail unit & flats. Permission was given, but a condition was imposed stating that the garage should be used for no other purpose than parking if vehicles in connection with the residential development. These proposals conflict this condition. Quote. The garage at 125 Manchester Road, Swindon shall be used for no other purpose other than the parking of vehicles in connection with the residential development hereby permitted.
SHRIVENHAM ROAD & COCKRAM COURT REPORT:-
Shrivenham Road residents were still concerned with prostitutes and drug abusers using the back way between the houses and the County Ground extension. Derek said that new police policy was they had to do what the local resident wanted. Karen said at the Broad green Tasking Group held this morning 5 new street prostitutes were cautioned and one prostitute and a kerb crawler have been arrested and charged with' outraging public decency' offence. Swindon police are to liaise with the Bristol Force who are using different techniques.
On drugs the police have been pro active for four weeks with two cannabis factories closed and three homes raided. And ten suspects horn the Hackney area of London being caught supplying. There are ongoing issues with the bottom flat of a house in Broad Street.
Heavy lorries are still entering Shrivenham Road from the Magic Roundabout due to Sat. Nav. errors. The pavement! path at the side of the cycle shop in Shrivenham Road is strewn with dead branches and is an accident waiting to happen.
CHAIRS REPORT:-
The BSACC 'Cohesion' Day. Earlier tonight a cheque for £401 was handed over from the monies raised at the Bollywood India Ltd. event held a few weeks ago. The treasurer, Richard, said that if any monies from this cheque were left over after this year's event, he would allot it to next year's event.
Asked about the Bottle Bank monies, Karen said that a letter had been received stating that this was being investigated. With the change in personnel and general policy this income had stopped.
On the Youth of the area, there have been 2 football matches played between the young Asians and young Goan people. Future match's will between young Asian men and a Police team and at a later date against Greenmeadow.
STFC have been involved with a Bangladeshi youth group and there may be some kit available
The police have been active in the area, each car that pass's through is monitored with the recently installed cameras. This coming weekend will see a lot of activity.
It was reported that Wendy our street cleaner has been unwell for several weeks. A letter wishing her well is to be forwarded to those concerned.
On the waste problem and the increase in the sighting of rats and the stench from long standing kitchen waste, Steve Harcourt is to investigate. The issues of fly tipping and business waste have to be tackled.
Holly was asked to speak on the Forward Planning Strategy and asked for people to attend meetings on April 9th 11.00 to 1.00pm at Broad green. Future meeting will have to reach the wider community, which will be on the more important issues. There will be a free guided tour of Queens Park on 23 rd June. The organisers would love some old photographs taken in the park.
WARD COUNCILLORS REPORT:-
Cllr Derek Montaut spoke of a meeting to discuss the old Paragon Laundry site on Monday 7th April at 6.30pm in Broadgreen.
On Wheelie Bins and waste in general Derique said there had to be a blitz on traders and their rubbish, some of the bags being carried half a mile.
Swindon Town Football Club is looking towards working with the Community in the very near future. The Cllr. spoke of development closing in on all sides and the need for buffers.
Public Art was still ongoing for the area, some within S4L but mostly the area in general.
At the S4L event last Saturday the Mayor had said that the project had finished at the end of the three years. Derek Sutton said quite forcefully that No this was not the end. It was the start of a new era for the area in general, and we should start pushing the Borough for the rest of the area to be updated. Derique said it may not happen today, but look forward to tomorrow. We can however look forward to a new community garden being sanctioned on 26th April 2008.
The Cllr. said of the closure of many of the play areas in town which was due to insurance claims
POLICE REPORT:-
There were no police officers present to make a report.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH REPORT:- No report
STREET WATCH REPORT:-No report
ANY OTHER BUSINESS:- Huge lorries reversing into Alfred Street from Broad Street to deliver to a garage at the rear of the end house of Broad Street, which is supposedly residential.
The parking in Manchester Road is no better particularly at bus stops.
Was there going to be Friday Night Football at the County Ground? No.
The private bus picking up and dropping of workers in County Road is ongoing. When this problem occurred in Manchester Road it took about six weeks to clear.
Meeting closed at 9.35pm.
THE DATE OF NEXT MEETING:- WED. 7th MAY 2008
BROADLY SPEAKING APRIL 2008
Last year the Community Council put on a really successful Cohesion Event at the Broadgreen Centre, and once again, thanks to a grant from the Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation, on Saturday the 26th of April between 2 and 6 pm we are having another one and all residents of the Broadgreen Area are invited to come along, join in and mix with each other.
This year in the main hall, as well as entertainment and an under 10’s fancy dress competition, there will be displays promoting the Community Plan that residents are working towards, with different departments from the Council available to talk to residents about associated problems and ideas. With such a big interest being shown about the possibility of a new canal in the centre of Swindon, the Canal Trust will also have a stand and they will be able to explain the plans first hand and answer any questions and concerns. Outside, there will be another 5-aside football tournament as well as children’s sports and tug of war. The afternoon will finish with a free multi-cultural food event. Look out for leaflets with full details of the event.
The next Community Plan meeting will be about transport and movement, this will take place on the morning of the Cohesion Event, 26th April, in the Lounge at the Broadgreen Centre between 10 am and midday. Open to all Broadgreen residents, we encourage everybody who has an interest in the future direction of this area to come along have their say, after all would people prefer the Broadgreen’s future to be lead by ourselves, the residents, or people from outside the area with their own agenda’s?
BROADLY SPEAKING MARCH 2008
There will be no Saturday meeting in March for the Broadgreen Community Plan, however on Saturday the 29th of March, 10 am to 12 noon, there will be a final celebration to mark the end of the Streets for Living project. A parade through the four streets will be followed by a marching display by the Britannia Majorettes. Then at 11 am in the main hall there will be a band concert by the Great Western Youth Brass Band who will be joined by a singing group from the Swindon Youth Service. Refreshments will be available and all Broadgreen residents are welcome.
On Saturday 26 April we will once again be putting on a Cohesion event at the Broadgreen Centre. Having obtained some of the funding for this from the Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation, to which we are extremely grateful, we were hoping that the rest would come from SBC’s Grassroots grant, especially as the first priority for eligibility was for Community Festivals: ‘The Council wishes to fund projects or activities that fund festivals in local neighbourhoods or that celebrate the diversity of local communities of interest & identity’. Unfortunately despite ticking the boxes and putting on such a successful event last year, bringing together as it did, many different diverse areas of the community in an afternoon of fun, food and sports, the powers that be decided that as there were more applications than funding available, organisations which had not previously received any sort funding from the council should take priority, so we were deemed to be one of 5 applications out of 35 to be unsuccessful. However, we will not be beaten that easily and private donations have assisted in the funding of this years event.
BROADLY SPEAKING FEBRUARY 2008
The first public meeting looking at resident’s views on the content of our Broadgreen Community Plan took place on Saturday 26th January. If you have any views or comments about the future direction of this area, want to find out what it is all about or simply wish to socialise, then please come along to a future meeting. They will hopefully be held on the last Saturday of each month at the Broadgreen Centre in Salisbury Street. We are optimistic that these meetings, which are open to all Broadgreen residents, will be well supported and become a monthly feature in people’s diaries.
A decision on the planning appeal for the George Whites site in Manchester Road has now been made. Despite the planning committee turning the plans down on a number of points, the planning inspector didn’t agree and has now given permission for the site to be demolished, and in its place a 3 and 4 storey flat complex to be built. The 4 storey building on the corner with Corporation Street was deemed as an “appropriate feature, marking this prominent ‘gateway’ in a satisfactory manner”! No provision for affordable housing need be included in the redevelopment and 24 off road parking spaces will be included. With a precedent having now been set for taller buildings on a corner junction, we now have to sit tight and see if any other owners of prominent corner properties fancy following suit.
Whilst on the subject of planning, the owners of the old laundry site in Aylesbury Street recently had their planning application turned down and are now looking at ways to alter the proposed building to be more sympathetic to the surrounding 2 storey homes. They hope that a new plan can be put forward that will be more acceptable to all and one that will gain planning permission.
BROADLY SPEAKING JANUARY 2008
Firstly we would like to wish you all a happy new year and hope you enjoyed the Christmas break.
A Broadgreen Strategy, led by the Community Council, giving SBC and other bodies guidance and a clear direction on the way residents wish to see the area develop, is going to be implemented in our area within the next 18 months or so. For this to be successful, all residents will have the opportunity to input their ideas towards a document covering a wide range of issues. Broadgreen will be the first area outside of the Parishes to plan and achieve this.
At the December planning committee meeting the proposed plans for a 6-storey 72-apartment development on the former laundry site in Aylesbury Street was deferred until January. Although the plans had been slightly revised, they were basically the same. Amongst the concerns raised by a number of the committee were the size and design of the proposals and 106 contributions. As a community we should be very concerned about the creeping in of over bearing multi storey developments into what is a terraced area. Comments on the proposals by Thames Water were also rather alarming. They have concerns that the sewage system in Central Swindon is at capacity now and new developments will make it worse i.e. sewage flooding and an adverse environmental impact on the community.
On the 15th January between 7.30-9.30pm the Community Council are holding an informal drop in evening at the Broadgreen Centre Main Hall in Gladstone St. if you are interested in becoming more involved in community issues or just want to pop in and socialise then please feel free to do so, there will be free refreshments available. Also attending will be Forward Planning Officers from Swindon Council regarding the Central Area Action plan, a Community Planner who will be able to tell you more about the Broadgreen Strategy, Voluntary Action and the Broadgreen Police team.
A Broadgreen Strategy, led by the Community Council, giving SBC and other bodies guidance and a clear direction on the way residents wish to see the area develop, is going to be implemented in our area within the next 18 months or so. For this to be successful, all residents will have the opportunity to input their ideas towards a document covering a wide range of issues. Broadgreen will be the first area outside of the Parishes to plan and achieve this.
At the December planning committee meeting the proposed plans for a 6-storey 72-apartment development on the former laundry site in Aylesbury Street was deferred until January. Although the plans had been slightly revised, they were basically the same. Amongst the concerns raised by a number of the committee were the size and design of the proposals and 106 contributions. As a community we should be very concerned about the creeping in of over bearing multi storey developments into what is a terraced area. Comments on the proposals by Thames Water were also rather alarming. They have concerns that the sewage system in Central Swindon is at capacity now and new developments will make it worse i.e. sewage flooding and an adverse environmental impact on the community.
On the 15th January between 7.30-9.30pm the Community Council are holding an informal drop in evening at the Broadgreen Centre Main Hall in Gladstone St. if you are interested in becoming more involved in community issues or just want to pop in and socialise then please feel free to do so, there will be free refreshments available. Also attending will be Forward Planning Officers from Swindon Council regarding the Central Area Action plan, a Community Planner who will be able to tell you more about the Broadgreen Strategy, Voluntary Action and the Broadgreen Police team.
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