You can't just have it both ways (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

You can't just have it both ways

THE report Marching Orders. April 11, covering the Stop campaign to prevent building around Coate Water demonstrated the duplicity practised by certain self-appointed environmentalists.

Several months ago MP Ms Drown said Swindon was an economic success and more people should be encouraged to settle here.

As a speaker on the march she said: "The mindset of the 1970s of building on green space was right for the time but it's not now."

But you can't have it both ways. If you encourage industrial development and more people into the town, then you require more land for industrial units, houses and associated infrastructure.

Last year some of the environmentalists on this march campaigned to prevent a development on the toxic brown-field site known as Shaw Tip.

There is no doubt it is morally wrong to continue using green space land for development without giving a thought for the consequences.

It is, however, perverse to encourage expansion while ignoring brownfield sites.

K KANE

Wroughton