THE High Court battle over the Front Garden has put an un-wanted brake on the pace of development throughout Swindon.

The campaign, led by Old Town resident Terry King and the Front Garden Action Group (FRAG), failed last month to halt the building of 3,800 homes on green fields south of the town.

But Swindon Council planning officers are also blaming it for putting back the progress of their local plan, which sets out where factories, offices, houses and other buildings can and cannot be built in Swindon between now and 2011.

The council had wanted to publish a first draft of the report in November, but says factors like the FRAG battle will mean it cannot publish until September 2002.

This means the plan may now not be adopted until September 2005 nine months later than originally planned.

A significant delay like this is bound to frustrate house and office developers eager to build in booming Swindon, but who may now have to wait longer for the go-ahead to start work.

Equally, people living near plots of land earmarked for development will have longer to stew before they know once and for all whether to expect new neighbours.

The news has also frustrated council leader Mike Bawden (Coun, Old Town and Lawns), who plans to find out whether the planners cannot produce the plan any quicker at a meeting tonight.

"I'm disappointed it's slipped back, because I know an awful lot of people are pretty interested in the local plan," he said.

"September 2005 is a long way away, and in Swindon four years is an eternity."

Mr Bawden said the slow progress on the council's regeneration strategy for central Swindon had also helped put the local plan timetable back.

He said the council had needed to consult with a great many people on its vision to redevelop the centre of town and increase the number of people who will be living there.

Talks with the Government on the setting up of a so-called Urban Regeneration Company, which would help Swindon attract significant regional and Whitehall funding, had also gone slowly.

"Governments always take their time, whether they are red or blue," Mr Bawden said, but added that the council hoped to hear about the prospects for a company early in the New Year.