Peter Mallinson's letter on Thursday advocating drainage trenches for the Front Garden (presumably in order for it to be built on) shows a serious lack of understanding.

The Front Garden flood plain acts as a giant sponge absorbing water running off the Downs after heavy rain. If it is drained the water will simply carry on down-stream flooding out the people living in houses in Even Swindon and Sparcells.

This is what happened in York. Flood plains further upstream had been drained so the water, which in the past had been held back, just kept on coming.

I do not know on which part of the Front Garden Mr Mallinson walked recently. If he had walked down Mill Lane, or indeed any area of the Front Garden from Mill Lane to the railway near Mannington on October 30 he would not even have seen the flood gauges on the River Ray or at Rushy Platt catchment area. The floods were so deep that the gauges were completely under water. The floods on October 30 and on at least two other occasions in the past 14 years have reached the 100 year indicative floodline issued by the Environment Agency this September. That is about 400 of the 750 acres of the Front Garden were under water. Draining the Front Garden is not a technological problem, ditches can be dug and the ground left to stabilise. Incidentally, does anyone believe that the developers will leave the ground for five or more years to settle down before building?

It seems we have a choice. We can have a jerry built development on the Front Garden that will flood every time it rains. Alternatively, we can have an expensive but dry development and see areas to the north flooded by the run off. Personally, I prefer the third way. Why not keep this area as an important environmental resource?

That way we do not destroy the local wild life and we do not store up trouble for the future.

Tel Hudson

Tweed Close

Haydon Wick

Swindon