SWINDON Town chief executive Mark Devlin hopes Town's plans for a new stadium and sports village will be in front of planners within the next four to six weeks.

He also insists concerns have been taken on board and there is no question of riding roughshod over people's opinions.

Councillors are almost queuing up to condemn the scheme but Mr Devlin says both the club and the developer, St Modwen, are seeking to produce as environmentally-friendly a scheme as possible.

Mr Devlin said: "We fully understand the sensitive nature of the site, now that's been made abundantly clear, and obviously part of the proposals that we put in will be submitted with a good degree of forestation within the site.

"We appreciate that the proposals as they stood were not acceptable."

The preferred location for the stadium is likely to be the part of the Shaw site still being used for tipping.

Mr Devlin said: "I think it will be a stadium and surrounding facilities of which the people of Swindon can be be proud.

"The preferred option appears to be moving the stadium from the initial spot, which takes it about as far away as we can from the areas of Shaw and Sparcells.

"That would hopefully go some way to easing residents' concerns about noise.

"We would hope within the next four to six weeks to be in a position where we have something to put into the planners."

But Swindon Forest Protection Group's Alan Hayward, one of the scheme's most vocal opponents, remained unconvinced.

"We don't want a stadium on the forest full stop," he said.