A proposal to turn one of Swindon’s most famous landmarks into something of a tourist attraction hit a bump in the road after opposition from the Labour-run borough council.

Conservative members for Covingham & Dorcan Councillors Kevin and Barbara Parry had put in a motion to full council proposing the council look at the feasibility of getting schoolchildren to create characters to be placed on the central island of the Magic Roundabout, with the town’s businesses helping out with the funding.

Introducing the motion, Cllr Kevin Parry said: “When you say you’re from Swindon people say, with a smile ‘Ah, the Magic Roundabout.’

“It’s a genius piece of traffic engineering, but it’s not very exciting.”

Cllr Parry suggested that children in the borough’s schools could be asked to devise character which would be placed on the central island.

He said: ”It  would become an attraction.” And he said it could become like Mushroom Street in Alicante, Spain which features large sculptures of fungi in the middle of the street and has become a draw for visitors

Cllr Parry added: “People said the Swindogs wouldn’t take off, but it did. In 2010 Swindon was the first town to be twinned with Disney World – the Magic Kingdom.

“Let the magic begin and let’s put the magic back into the Magic Roundabout.”

The motion would always need the support of Labour members to be passed – and that hope was almost immediately scuppered by council leader Councillor Jim Robbins.

He said: “This isn’t something we can support.

“We understand the motives  behind the motion and it’s a thing to do, but we don’t have the officer time or money to put into this.”

Cllr Robbins said if someone were to come forward and offer to sponsor the initiative, the council would support it, but he reiterated that it was not a priority at this time for the council’s time or money when it was in significant financial difficulties.

The cabinet member for planning and placemaking Councillor Marina Strinkovsky suggested another possible approach. She said: “It doesn’t work as a motion, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work as an idea.”

Cllr Strinkovsky suggested the Cllrs Parry speak to Magic Swindon - a creative and arts group which includes the organisers of Swindon Paintfest and the Festival of Tomorrow, as a possible avenue to take the idea forward.

Cllr Parry said he was disappointed by the lack of administration support just before the motion was defeated by Labour votes over the Conservatives.

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