What council leader Mike Bawden conveniently forgets (Adver, December 16) when he defends the council's policy of building on Coate is that when Swindon Borough Council applied for Community Forest Funding, their 'environmental' plan for this area formed the very heart and basis of that application.

Not only is the council sacrificing the countryside to more development but also it is wasting tax payers money. Councillors should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for abusing the use of public funds.

Jean Saunders

Planning campaigner

Swindon Friends of the Earth