The case against by Terry King, chairman of FRAG

Swindon Borough Council is about to vote on one of the most contentious issues since it came into being on April 1 1997.

It has to decide whether the Front Garden remains its prime choice for greenfield housing development during the strategic planning period up to 2011.

In 1989, the then Labour leader of the Council first coined the term Front Garden and referred to it as the "lungs of Swindon."

The Council then voted against housing development there. In 1990, 1993, and 1995 the Council again voted against development, for many sound, logical and practical reasons.

Two of those votes were proposed and seconded by Labour councillors who still sit on the council.

What has changed? The practical reasons certainly have not. The Front Garden still floods (three times in 14 years it has flooded up to the Environment Agency 100 year flood line), it still provides a pleasing green aspect to the south of Swindon, it is still a buffer separating Swindon and Wroughton, it is still enjoyed by thousands of Swindonians, it is still a haven for wildlife and has an abundance of flora, it has several archeological sites, it is still noisy and polluted by the M4 and the mainline railway, and it is still in the foreground of the area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the South of the M4.

For all these reasons development was rejected by the council four times in six years, despite all the efforts of developers trying to get their hands on convenient and cheap greenfield sites.

Suddenly, on 1 April 1997, when Thamesdown Borough Council became the unitary authority of Swindon Borough Council, the same councillors who had always voted against development realised what a pot of gold they were sitting on and voted for development on the Front Garden.

So, the only thing which had changed over all those years was a change of ownership and therefore an opportunity to cash in.

The Council itself has stated that the best long-term potential for development is to the East of the A419, yet it seems intent on trying to develop the Front Garden before then. This should be unnecessary because there are still 7,000 houses to be built in the Northern Development Area and up to 4,000 on brownfield sites, which, at the present rate of building, will take 13 to14 years to complete.

We have appealed in writing to every Councillor asking them to base their vote on practical reasons again, not on monetary or political reasons. A short term monetary gain would lead to an irreversible long-term loss for the people of Swindon.

We sincerely hope that Government guidelines, common sense, and the wishes of thousands of Swindonians will prevail tonight.