Last November, we were told that work on Union Square would be ‘starting on site in summer 2010’. As I said back then, never believe a project plan based on the seasons. Summer 2010 is here, but nothing’s happened, not even a planning application. As recently as December, Mr Bluh told us ‘We have the Union Square development going ahead’. As is so often the case, the easy way to tell whether Mr Bluh is spouting ignorant twaddle is to see if his lips are moving.
Last week, buried in a cabinet report ostensibly about lowering the charges at the council’s town centre car parks were options for splurging more of our money. The report makes it clear how ill-informed Mr Bluh’s earlier comments were.
It is clear that if the Council is unable to take up an option on the car park, the development would remain unviable in the current market. MUSE have indicated that they would mothball the project and unless there is a significant improvement in the economic situation, there would be unlikely to be any redevelopment for the foreseeable future.And thus it is that the residents of Swindon once again find themselves at risk of picking up the financial tab for one of Mr Bluh’s grandiose schemes.
Hat-tip: Bogomil on TalkSwindon.
2 warblings:
Sadly, a number of the projects for the town centre were due to have been part funded by the SWRDA. They had their budget chopped 2 years ago [sorry, the Govt "clawed back" some money] and so plans had to be changed and now they are facing another claw-back so more projects may have to be black balled.
Other town centre projects failed because the companies behind them failed, again victims of the recession so a lot of the problems with Swindon TC can be laid very firmly at the door of the Blair/Brown alliance
I don’t doubt the cause of the problem, what I’m questioning is the proposed solution. Mr Bluh and his cronies seem to have taken the Blair/Brown approach to financial prudence as their model.
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