Agenda item

Peter Humphreys asked the Executive Member for Regeneration and Communities the following question:

 

Question

There have been a number of high profile planning disasters involving major projects in the Town, including:

·         Wellington house now demolished which was part of a scheme to build a large civic centre complex that was abandoned;

·         The proposed IDR including a roundabout surrounding the 16th Century Tudor House also abandoned due to public opposition;

·         Having to spend £30m to build social housing to replace the shoddy damp ridden properties the Council built in Eustace Crescent and then subsequently demolished (that word again) as they were insanitary;

·         A supermarket built on a greenfield site but later abandoned and left vacant for many years due to its poor location;

·         Poor architecture at either end of Peach Street, allowed by the Planning Committee, but now demolished/about to be demolished;

·         Hundreds, maybe thousands, recently planted trees about to be uprooted due to lack of joined up thinking in respect of the routes of the NDR and so on.

 

Would you please list what lessons the Council has learnt from these expensive failures and what guarantees can you give that such disasters won’t be repeated with the schemes currently in the pipeline?

 

Minutes:

 

There have been a number of high profile planning disasters involving major projects in the Town, including:

·         Wellington House now demolished which was part of a scheme to build a large civic centre complex that was abandoned;

·         The proposed IDR including a roundabout surrounding the 16th Century Tudor House also abandoned due to public opposition;

·         Having to spend £30m to build social housing to replace the shoddy damp ridden properties the Council built in Eustace Crescent and then subsequently demolished (that word again) as they were insanitary;

·         A supermarket built on a greenfield site but later abandoned and left vacant for many years due to its poor location;

·         Poor architecture at either end of Peach Street, allowed by the Planning Committee, but now demolished/about to be demolished;

·         Hundreds, maybe thousands, recently planted trees about to be uprooted due to lack of joined up thinking in respect of the routes of the NDR and so on.

 

Would you please list what lessons the Council has learnt from these expensive failures and what guarantees can you give that such disasters won’t be repeated with the schemes currently in the pipeline?

 

Answer

An interesting series of questions here.  First I just have a comment from my colleague here, who has been here a lot longer than I have in Wokingham, on your large civic centre complex.  He has never been familiar with any large civic centre complex.

 

Let me pick up the rest. I am very interested in the choice of projects that you mention and your interpretation of them as expensive failures.

 

Take for example Eustace Crescent which sat within the 1950s Norreys Estate providing housing for 60 years, or Wellington House which was in use as a Council Office for over 40 years. Hardly failed projects.

 

The regeneration proposals are not isolated one off projects as many of the schemes you refer to; but are the culmination of years of strategic planning and research. Starting 12 years ago in 2004 with the start of the development of the Local Plan, the Core Strategy, the Managing Development Delivery document and the Town Centre Masterplan which set out how the Borough and the Town should change over the coming years. This planning process ensures that what we are building now will meet the needs and demands of both current and future residents.

 

All of these documents have been the result of extensive consultation with residents, local businesses, developers and, in regards to the Local Plan core documents, have undergone Examination In Public by the Planning Inspectorate prior to their adoption. Alongside this we have continued to consult on our regeneration proposals throughout the process of developing the designs, including major consultation events in 2011, 12, 13, 14 and 15. At each stage we have changed our proposals in response to feedback to ensure we are delivering the right scheme for Wokingham to be a success.

 

What these projects also demonstrate to me, is the continually changing face of modern life and business, and the need for the built form to respond to this.

 

That is why the Council has been careful to ensure that our regeneration proposals have been designed as flexibly as possible and can continue to adapt to future requirements.

 

Commercial spaces have been designed so the footprint can be continually altered to reflect current retail approaches, or even converted to alternative uses in many years to come if needs be.

 

Residential properties have been designed to meet the Lifetime Homes standard so they can continue to adapt to the life requirements of those living there and will allow them a good standard of living regardless of age and abilities.

 

We are also investing in making sure everything we build as part of the regeneration is built to a high quality and remains so for years to come. Things like using the right quality materials, the right contractors, and putting the right long term management agreements in place with tenants to ensure this can be achieved.

 

The Council has already successfully delivered the first phase of the regeneration proposals at Peach Place to such standards and has every confidence they can deliver the remaining phases to meet them as well.

 

This Council is committed to ensuring regeneration for its town centres.

 

Supplementary Question

First off just on that point you made about the civic centre.  I can find the documentary evidence of that. 

 

I mentioned in this about the supermarket i.e. Tescos which was built on Elms Field and then they subsequently decided it wasn’t a viable site and it was left vacant for many years as they retained the lease which wasn’t a good piece of documentation on the Council’s part when they drafted up the contracts.  Subsequent to that Sainsbury’s were offered a site on Elms Field and they then pulled out.  Lidl was encouraged to go there and they didn’t take up the option and indeed when Lidl didn’t go to their current site at the Planning Meeting Councillor Deegan, who was sitting in your shoes in those days as head of regeneration etc, he actually said if Lidl go there then the supermarket at Elms Field would not be viable and that would ruin that project and now you are trying to encourage Aldi to go there.  Why is that one going to work and if Aldi do not turn up does that mean that the whole scheme is again unviable and going to have to be abandoned and something else come up with?

 

Supplementary Answer

An interesting combination you have got there – supermarkets, Tescos and I am glad you mentioned what it was as I couldn’t for the life of me assume what it was going to be.

 

Now you have mentioned Tesco yes they did have a lease as I recall, and I wasn’t on the Council at that stage so I cannot comment, but I seem to recall that was down to a lease.  I think lessons have certainly being learnt over the years since then very much so. 

 

Sainsbury’s well that was entirely down to their requirements.  As you will probably recall we were not the only place in the country that they pulled out of at the time.  They were going through a very rocky patch as many of the supermarket chains were at the time, and still are to some degree, and the size of their store was just not compatible with the market as it had changed and that is why they pulled out; and of many others.  In fact I know Tesco also pulled out of some at the same time. 

 

I am not quite sure that your appreciation of where Lidl came to, and your comments, are quite my appreciation of it.  I am not sure that you appreciation of whether they were supposed to be going to Elms Field is correct. 

 

You have now mentioned another supermarket chains but I am sorry but I cannot comment on who the supermarket chain will be that are coming to Elms Field as we still have to sign up with any supermarket that is coming and they will only be coming to this town, I can assure you, if they feel there is a future.  The company we are negotiating with are looking at a 25 year lease at this stage – so that is the confidence they have in wanting to come to Wokingham.