HOUSEHOLDERS are being asked to attend a public meeting to express their opinions on new plans to build 400 houses in the centre of Swindon.

Developer One Swindon is about to put in a formal application for permission to build homes in a development south of the railway tracks between Park Lane and Wootton Bassett Road.

Here’s what you told us...

Joey Stevens: “Yes why not. The hospital is already full to the brim, what’s another 400 homes?”

Simon Tilbury: “What the hell. It will be funny to hear residents start complaining about train noise.”

Amy Swanson: “I know we need more housing, but who in their right mind would want to live near the railway line.”

Frank Simons: “This needs to be stopped. There are many other options for that land. More housing in this area would cause chaos.”

Debra Collins: “No, the traffic problems in Rodbourne are at breaking point already. Residents have had enough of the constant disruption on a daily basis where some days you cannot get your car out of your road because of gridlock through the whole area.”

Ashley Blackler: “Go ahead build them but before you do that the infrastructure to cope with it needs to be done first! Traffic around that area is shocking.”

Damian Vaughan: “Build more council houses as people can’t always afford to pay such big amounts in rent. Why should the fat cats get any fatter? Support and help those in need instead.”

Marcus Jerome: “The council should be forced into building more council houses and take away right to buy then at least people on low incomes stands a chance.”

‘Eyes peeled’: “If you have a look at the plans, there is no vehicular access to Park Lane (only footpath and cycle path), so it shouldn’t affect traffic in the Rodbourne/Outlet area significantly. The only vehicular access is via Wootton Bassett Road, so there is likely to be a significant impact on traffic there, Mannington, and the junction with Kingshill/ Westcott Place.

“It’s a difficult one. On one hand that area is already congested and could do without further traffic.

"But on the other Swindon has to build a certain amount of new homes and if brownfield sites such as this are not utilised then another 400 homes will end up on greenfield sites outside the current urban area.

“The developer and council need to focus on improving public transport especially bus lanes so that they are a much more efficient, funded and utilised method of transport in the town.”

Steve Smith: “Do you have any idea how disruptive that would be to both roads and rail while it is done? Never going to happen and as others have said, all it does is move the bottleneck somewhere else.”

Eric Jones: “Central location. Public transport accessible. This is exactly the sort of location that should be developed. Of course it should go ahead.

“Ideally with European-style apartments (ie ones that are properly built and properly maintained that people want to live in, so avoiding the huge mistake Britain made postwar in associating “apartments/flats” with “rubbish”).

“And, yes, as others have pointed out: There are traffic concerns that must be addressed.”

Alan Baker: “Major new junction on Wootton Basset Road, where the turning to Redpost Drive is, to lead into the site and a new car park for the outlet, with a covered bridge link to the car park by the Pattern Shop.

“Also, the tunnel under Rodbourne Road that linked the old boiler shop to the other side of the road could be re-opened, thus doing away with the pedestrian crossing.”