Wolverton residents to decide town's future

A Buckinghamshire building described as a "blot on the landscape" could be one of the first to be tackled under new government policy.

Residents of Wolverton are being given the chance to decide the town's future under the 2011 Localism Act by drawing up a Neighbourhood Plan, a scheme designed to give people greater ability to shape development in their area.

A wish list for the town has already been drawn up with a decision on how to deal with the controversial Agora shopping centre a high priority.

Wolverton is a Victorian town, purpose built by a railway company to provide housing and employment, and has been described as "the Milton Keynes of the 1830s".

Built in 1979, the Agora was a gift to Wolverton from the Milton Keynes Development Corporation but has divided the town both literally and metaphorically.

"It has been a blot on Wolverton's landscape since it was built," said Marie Osborne from the Wolverton Steering Group.

"It has never worked as a building and what's key about it for Wolverton is that it disrupts the Victorian street pattern and cuts the town in half.

"I don't want to say that everybody hates it, we've had one consultation response that says it is a unique and exciting building but largely the feeling is the Agora is causing problems."

Wolverton is the first of four communities in Milton Keynes to test the scheme and will start the process on 31 January, with a three day consultation event.

The town is a frontrunner, one of 126 communities in the UK to pilot the process, working with local planning authorities.

Other projects in Milton Keynes include the Lakes Estate, Castlethorpe and Stony Stratford.

During Wolverton's first consultation event, local landowners, residents groups, councillors and the general public will look in detail at some of its key challenges, and begin to design a new town plan which will guide development.

"We're not pretending we're going to get everything out of [it] as overall it's going to take a year, but I hope we are going to get a fantastic snapshot of what local people think of the issues and the problems there are," Ms Osborne said.

In 2002, the Wolverton Steering Group developed a 20-year wish list for the town's future, but Ms Osborne said that this latest legislation had given them a new outlook which would really be about delivery.

"Every consultation process we've done since 2002 has unanimously come out with the verdict that [the Agora] needs to be redeveloped, so that's what the Neighbourhood Plan is all about, trying to make that happen.

"This is not a document that's going to sit on a shelf somewhere, this is about getting developers on board, about getting people who understand how to make development happen on board, and making this community's aspirations come true."

But will the policy allow residents views to be acted upon in a way that they have not before?

"What's interesting about neighbourhood planning is that for the first time it brings together community planning processes with the planning policy processes," Ms Osborne said.

'Proper resourcing'

"For the first time the community's aspirations for their area will be encompassed in planning policy that will then dictate what Milton Keynes Council does.

"I am absolutely certain that what everybody wants is the best for Wolverton and I'm sure that that's what we will achieve."

Nationally, some organisations have expressed concerns about the government's changes to the planning system.

Countryside and environment organisations such as the National Trust fear that it could lead to uncontrolled development which could threaten protected areas.

Ben Cowell, from the National Trust, said it supported the underlying objectives of the Localism Bill and "very much welcomed" the central role of planning at the heart of the localism agenda, but still had concerns.

"We believe the new Localism Act will fail to deliver a workable planning system unless a number of key issues are resolved, including proper local authority resourcing, robust transition arrangements and changes to the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)," he said.