Swindon is synonymous with the railways and it was great to have the opportunity last week to talk with Wendy Morton MP, the Rail Minister, about our town’s bid to host the new Great British Railways headquarters.
I strongly believe that Swindon is the perfect location and alongside Justin Tomlinson MP, I will continue to do everything I can to support Swindon Borough Council in making our town’s case.
If Swindon is successfully shortlisted, there will be a public vote – so please keep an eye on my social media channels and future weekly articles for more information.
Last week I also had the opportunity to join other Members of Parliament and Paralympian Richard Whitehead in a run around St. James’ Park to promote the physical and mental health benefits of running.
As somebody who calls themselves a part-time runner, I have seen first-hand the positive impact that running has had on my life and I will continue to encourage as many people as possible to get involved.
On Friday I joined hundreds of people at the brilliant Festival of Tomorrow being held at The Deanery school in Wichelstowe. This was an action packed exploration of the new wonders of science, technology and research which will shape the future of the world.
As the home of the Research Councils and the UK Space Agency, Swindon is the hub of UK research and innovation and it was great to see people of all ages and backgrounds engaging with the cutting edge exhibitions on display.
In good news for our town, a planning application to redevelop the former Honda site has been submitted by Panattoni which will bring 7,000 new jobs to Swindon over the next decade.
This exciting and ambitious application will not only develop the 145 hectare site for a range of employment uses but will also create a new public park which would provide cycle and pedestrian routes.
It is estimated that the £700 million worth of investment from Panattoni into the former Honda site could bring £1.4 billion worth of economic value to our town through the value of goods and services.
I would encourage residents to review the plans and have their say, which can be done via: pa1.swindon.gov.uk/publicaccess/ and searching for reference S/22/0284.
In further good news, at the end of January, the Council took delivery of around 17,000 trees ahead of the start of their tree planting initiative.
These trees will be planting right across our town, including in Wroughton, Shaw Ridge, the Railway Village, Walcot and in central Swindon over the next two months. Over recent years I have taken part in tree planting sessions and I would strongly encourage everybody to get involved in this initiative.
More information can be found via: http://www.swindon.gov.uk/bethechange.
As a proud Welshman, I would also like to wish everybody here in Swindon and across the country a happy St. David’s Day for yesterday. Wales did not quite beat England at rugby this year, but the second half was an exciting spectacle!
