THE council should look very carefully at the proposal to build yet more high density housing on what until now has been the Okus Trading Estate.

Many people will rightly be asking whether Old Town really needs more homes of this kind.

The Okus plan means 40 well-established businesses will be forced out and how effective the pledge by developers Fairview that they will be "assisted" remains to be seen.

Outline planning consent has already been given for 400 houses on the Princess Margaret Hospital site. Now Terry King, chairman of the Okus Residents' Association, welcomes the Fairview plan because he does not like 40-tonne lorries trundling along the road.

We can only presume he has not thought about the effect which the advent of at least another 600 cars will have on his environment.

High density flats and houses are going up all over Old Town. The description "affordable" cannot honestly be applied to many of them.

Swindon needs more social and genuinely affordable homes. But it also needs to preserve its small businesses.