THE future of the Front Garden could lie in the hands of the people of Swindon.

A borough-wide referendum could be carried out to decide whether the rural buffer will be developed for housing.

The Front Garden is earmarked for the development of 3,800 houses and it is also the favoured site of the town's new football stadium.

Councillors will be given the power to decide if the development should go ahead but the poll, which would cost the council £133,000 to carry out, would give councillors a clear idea of how Swindonians feel about the plans.

Members of the Front Garden Action Group (FRAG) have welcomed the proposed referendum. They say the rural buffer between the M4 and the town should be turned into a country park.

FRAG chairman Terry King said: "I am always only too keen that people should be able to say what they think.

"I just only hope that the council does not ignore the people it represents and listens to what Swindon wants. Another thing I hope is that the referendum is worded fairly so that people can give an educated response.

"Of course, we would adhere to the results, and there is no way that I can predict how it would go. I just hope people realise how important the Front Garden is for Swindon."

If the council-owned Front Garden is given the go-ahead for development, the borough stands to earn more than £200 million which it would use to carry out its wish list of a new library, a university, and a tram system.

Millionaire Terry Brady, who has a controlling interest at Swindon Town, has already said he would build a new state-of-the-art stadium on the Front Garden if he is allowed to develop a portion of the land for housing.

Leading councillors in the cabinet will discuss the plan for a referendum at the Civic Offices on Wednesday.

No final decision will be made on whether the development will take place until the Wiltshire and Swindon Local Structure Plan is finalised in late November. For any development the land will have to be re-classified as non-agricultural land.

Borough solicitor Stephen Taylor said: "The involvement of the electorate in such decisions could be said to promote social inclusion and enhance the democratic process.

"Clearly, however, the final decision as to whether or not the Front Garden should be sold rests with members and this should be clearly set out in any documentation relating to any referendum.

"The council has not decided whether or not to sell any of its land holdings in the Front Garden.

"If members do wish to carry out a public consultation, then it should be considered whether an advisory referendum is the appropriate way to do this, and what proposition should be put before residents."

The proposal for a referendum follows a Liberal Democrat motion which was put before full council on April 27, just before the council elections.