NEW homes in return for a spacious, modern and updated school could be the shot in the arm that Rowde needs.

The fabric of this village started to tear quite a few years back, very like the steady crumbling of the school structure.

We first lost the garage, then the corner shop and finally the baker/Post Office. A decision on whether to close the Mother and Toddler Group is to be made in the next three weeks owing to the lack of young mums around.

This could be a welcoming social village if we could work together to achieve the best we can for everyone, maybe taking a leaf out of Urchfont's book who are putting a much needed Post Office back into their village.

The school has always said that it wanted no more than 24 new homes on the present school site to cover the cost of the new school.

It could have been up to 35 on a site of this size especially if it had been owned by the local council, so the change to the village was thought about and considered very carefully.

Sarsen Housing Association has numerous applications from people wanting the chance to live in or come back to Rowde.

As for traffic it will be quiet and car free around the old school site on Springfield Road. There will still be through traffic speeding on Marsh Lane, but no parents' cars, no coaches, no pick-up buses, no delivery and courier vans or waste disposal vehicles.

The school body will be very firm in their advice to parents, that all children driven to the new school will use the school's front entrance on Devizes Road and walking pupils only will use the Springfield Road route. I hope no one is going to object to children walking past their houses. Are not the children now and the generations to come so much more important than moaning and groaning about change? It's the best thing to happen in Rowde since CARE was built ten years ago.

Recent anti-social behaviour has been quelled very efficiently by action within the village and the response of the Community Support police officers who patrol on request.

M DALLEY

Rowde