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r!DELAy! SHOCK Secondary School doubt for 1986 Readers of the Link with an interest in the proposed West Swindon secondary school will have been shocked by the news that negotiations to purchase the land for the school have broken down. A price cannot be agreed between the landow:er and Wiltshire County Council. The Council has decided to impose a Compulsory Purchase Order on the owner to sell at a price established independently. However a CPO has to be submitted to the Minister for the Environment for approval. If he disagrees with it or the landowners objects and appeals, then delays will go on and on for a long time. Wilts. County Council had hoped to complete the land deal by the summer so that early site works could be done. This would have allowed building works on the school to start in January 1985 for completion in summer 1986. It is now unlikely that this time-scale can be achieved. It is clear that parents of children due to start secondary school in September 1986 must consider where they will go.
Rising Fives Nothing is certain here either. A Wilts County Council spokesperson told the Link that he hoped additional classrooms would be available at Freshbrook School by the summerlerm This would allow children from the whole of West Swindon with birthdays in the summer to go to school in April and not September. He also outlined a further problem arising from the fact that any extra teachers required have to be paid from the 1984/85 budget. This has not been agreed by Wilts. County Council. Until it is, the Education Department do not know how much money it has to employ teachers. But the Link was assured, "All will be known in the next few weeks."!
Recently there were a series of public meetings where parents were consulted as to where their children should go to school in September of 1984 and 1985. It was eventually decided that Toot hill and Westlea children will go to Ridgeway, Wroughton and Freshbrook children will go to to Bradon Forest at Purton. County Council spokespersons at the meetings made it plain that these arrangements would last for two years only until the The Council tenants meeting West Swindon secondary school advertised in the December was complete. Link for January 18th was well attended by 30 people plus representatives from the Thame down Federation of Tenants Len Hobbs, ward county councill- Association. or commented to the Link "The parents in west Swindon have The Toothill-Freshbrook Tenant been misled into thinking that Association are arranging futthere were no problems for the ure meetings and would like to school opening in 1986. They are hear from tenants interested being treated unfairly. I hope in joining them in their work the delays can be sorted out as to get a real voice for tenquickly as possible. ants. Ring Coleen on 872994
Tenants get Organised
Misled
Community Centre Progress Those who hang around Freshbrook Village Centre will have been im pressed by the speed at which tFe Freshbrook Community Centre has been growing. It looks as if it will be finished about two months early in May. The Freshbrook Village Group residents organisation is working hard to keep up with management decisions so that they are ready to take the building over.
Window But in Toothill , anybody loitering around outside the shop will have noticed the slow building of Toothill's community centre which will not be finished in June as planned. The Stained Glass Window project is moving and it will be publicised more in the future. Over in Westlea, next to Eastleaze, the Upper Shaw Farmhouse conversion to a community centre will be ready in June. It will offer more space for playgroups and toddler groups and meeting space for community groups of all kind. CONTACT PEOPLE FOR INFO Freshbrook Steve Smith 870200 Toothill Pat Burke 695517 Westlea Steve Smith 872675