Ref. 29698-45A GROWING number of councillors have declared their opposition to plans for Swindon Town's new stadium with one threatening to lie down in front of the bulldozers if need be.

Leading the pack is Coun Nick Martin (Con, Shaw and Nine Elms) who has said he is outraged by the football club's proposals which were on view to councillors at a special closed meeting on Wednesday evening.

Coun Martin said: "These property developers aren't interested in Swindon they're here today and gone tomorrow and will pack up and take their suitcases with them if things go wrong.

"They're after cheap land so that they can make lots of money.

"If my constituents want me to lie down in front of a bulldozer to stop this, then I will."

And Coun Doug Stewart (Con, Shaw and Nine Elms) says he is happy to protest too, but is not too optimistic about where it will get them.

It was also revealed on Wednesday night that the council plans to build about 400 homes on the County Ground and pay off the covenant which currently states the premises must always be used for sports.

About 20 councillors attended the meeting, which involved a presentation from Bill Oliver, the managing director of St Modwen Properties, the company proposing to build the stadium.

Mr Oliver said he plans to hold public consultations this month, enter a planning application in May and be granted planning approval by September.

The plans do not just involve a new football stadium there will also be an extensive sports village featuring an Olympic-sized swimming pool, rugby pitch and athletics track, as well as a four-star hotel and restaurants.

Coun Michael Dickinson (Lib Dem, Central) welcomed the plans.

"I'm really enthusiastic about the initial plans but whether they become a reality will depend upon the hard work of the partnership between the club, developers and the council," he said.

Meanwhile, Town chief executive Mark Devlin has confirmed that the proposals as they stand would see the stadium built at the Sparcells end of the Shaw Tip site.

He said: "The developers feel the ground can be best accommodated in the dip closer to the Sparcells end."

Mr Devlin is keen for Town supporters and the public to fully engage in the public consultation exercise which gets underway later this month.

Proposals for the scheme will be on show at the County Ground and in West Swindon in the coming weeks.

Speaking at last month's press conference to announce the scheme he said: "This is more than just for people who support the club, it is for people who want to see something that will give the community a heartbeat, which I think this complex will."

Emma-Kate Lidbury