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Help shape the future of your town

By Victoria Corbett
March 19, 2010

A thriving high street is the most important aim of the town centre regeneration, according to the results of a public consultation on Wokingham’s renaissance.

However, just 182 people filled out a questionnaire asking what the priorities for Wokingham’s multi-million pound new town centre should be.

Thriving high street and nightlife form part of objectives

The final chance to have a say on the masterplan, which will inform the chosen town centre developer of their design for the new-look Wokingham, will begin next month when a formal consultation is launched.

People are being urged to have their say on the masterplan, as it will set the foundations for a planning application when Wokingham Borough Council chooses a development partner.

Councillor Gary Cowan, executive member for local and regional planning, said: “Once the masterplan is formally adopted by the council in the summer, any planning applications submitted within the town centre will be informed by it and have to conform to what is in it – including those that will come forward as part of the redevelopment.

“The masterplan will be used to assess all planning applications for new development in the town centre, from when it is adopted by the council in the summer and for years to come.

“This is a really important document and I would urge everyone to have their say.”

Consultation results published last week show 67 people strongly agree with Wokingham needing a thriving high street, while 21 strongly agree with having an 18-hour economy.

This refers to the council’s aim of making Wokingham a popular place for visitors in the day and night, adding to existing restaurants and bars, and providing more cultural and community opportunities.

However, the consultation itself has been criticised by several groups and individuals, including the Wokingham Society and residents’ associations around the town.

Andy Simpson, of Joel Park Residents’ Association, said: “The questionnaire was of a conceptual nature and the options given were all desirable. Respondents were then asked to choose preferences. This is not a ‘consultation’ in any dictionary definition I have seen! I'm sure many potential responders declined to commit to such a pantomime wish list and thus there appear to be less than 200 residents who completed the forms successfully.”

Cllr David Lee, leader of the council, said: “It is and it isn’t [disappointing that 182 people responded to the consultation].

“We have to remember the consultation has been going on for a while, it started in May 2007.

“Every time we have held a workshop we have produced something that has been distilled out of the responses to that.

“People have been changing the masterplan [with their views] all along the process.”

The final decision to adopt the masterplan is expected to be made in the summer. The formal consultation on the masterplan will take place from Thursday, April 1, to Thursday, May 13. Visit www.wokingham.gov.uk/redevelopment-update.

For more see this week's Wokingham Times.

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When I hear about this plan, and I hear about it a lot, it is always different. It is on; it is off; there is a plan; the plan is thrown out... etc etc.

I believe there currently there is a plan, and I've seen a very high level PDF with colours and lines on it, although it is hard to tell how it fits over the current Wokingham. I believe it involves building on car parks, and thereby restricting access to a larger town centre, and losing green space. I suspect it will involve the installation of traffic lights in a Reading stylee. I also believe that the traffic conditions will get worse - much worse.

However, I don't actually know *when* and *where* to go to make comments, but absolutely fully expect it to be at the Council Offices, ie only Monday to Friday, 10-4, when most of us are actually working ourselves. How am I supposed to see the plans to make a comment, and how am I supposed to know where it is? I've looked at the Council's website, and I can't find it easily. All I find is an email address that I can email to get more information? That doesn't sound an efficient way of sharing information?

I *do* know that my comments will make absolutely zero difference what-so-ever, in just the same way that they've made zero difference on Plough Lane, twice, and will make zero difference on the North and South Wokingham (which will have no access to Wokingham) developments. And I'm not necessarily immediately against any of these, although I have been against some of the guff that the developers come up with to justify the developments (that would later be accepted by a non-listening government officer), so my comments aren't without a reasoned arguement.

The council have these "consultation periods" just to tick a box. They are not being widely shared with the people of Wokingham, and therefore they don't get responses. Simple as.

mavdo, Wokingham
19/03/2010 at 11:31

maybe we are all getting bored of talking about it, and wondering if it is ever going to happen. this town has been pretty useless for a long time now and maybe we are not talking about it cause we are all so used to going elsewhere.