A CONSERVATION group today launched a last ditch bid to stop homes being built on the Front Garden.

The Council for the Preservation of Rural England claims there are brownfield sites areas of land which have already been used for land or buildings that should be developed first.

And it wants people to demand a public inquiry by bombarding Swindon Council with letters.

The CPRE says there are 90 sites in the Swindon area that meet the criteria for brownfield sites that could provide between 4,000 and 8,000 homes.

It believes the Front Garden, which separates Old Town and the M4, should be left as a rural buffer zone between the town and Wroughton.

Wiltshire CPRE vice-chairman Charmian Spickernell said: "This proposal is completely premature.

"There are very good arguments against this scheme which can be overturned at a public inquiry."

Developer Bryant Homes has submitted a planning application to build 4,500 homes on 772 acres of the Front Garden.

Plans include shops, offices, a country park and four schools.

Council spokeswoman Lynda Fleming said: "The developers have lodged an application and it is being processed.

"However, this will take a long time because every detail has to be investigated."