Highworth teenager urges council to not go through with 700-home plan
Oliver has been raising funds and making speeches
Last updated 18th Aug 2025
A teenager from Highworth is calling on Swindon Borough Council to not go through with their plans of building 700 homes on the Old Golf Course.
It comes as earlier this week, Highworth Town Council took the first step in a Judicial Review of the authority's decision by issuing a Pre-Action Protocol letter.
If necessary, the Town Council has said that it is prepared to proceed to a full Judicial Review.
13-year-old Oliver Johnson told Greatest Hits Radio: “I got involved because I’m really passionate about the land because I love just walking there and it melts all your bad thoughts away. So, once I heard that they're going to build some houses on it, I was like ‘No, we’ve got to stop this’.”
Oliver has been helping the Action Group for Saving Highworth’s Old Golf Course by selling flower bouquets made from wildflowers grown on the site to raise money for the campaign, helping out with social media work and making speeches in front of the council.
He has also created a YouTube video for the campaign which has been shown at his school assembly, prompting his friends and fellow students to develop interest in the cause.
“A lot of people come and ask me questions about it, and then when I explain the situation, they're so surprised that they haven't stopped it yet.
“And in history, we're learning about the rules that the politicians have to follow. But when I learned it from my experience, they're not quite following the same rules”, Oliver added.
“We're the future. We don't want a concrete jungle to walk around for our future, but we have to face the consequences.”
Highworth is set to grow by a third over the next years – without the Old Golf Course development.
Around 60% of the town’s population, as well as people from across the borough who use the site to go for walks, have been objecting to the proposals which were first made four years ago.
Even broadcaster and biologist David Attenborough got involved by responding to a letter written to him by the action group.
“David Attenborough said himself that it should be the people who decide, not just a few councillors. So, they're going against the words of our national hero”, said Oliver.
The vote to initiate a judicial review of Swindon Borough Council’s decision was unanimously made on Tuesday, 12 August.
The Town Council argued that legal action would “ensure that any decisions regarding the future of the Old Golf Course are made lawfully, transparently, and with full consideration of the community’s interests”.
Swindon Borough Council have been approached for comment.