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An artist's impression of Elms Field after the town centre regeneration
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Town centre regeneration's legal deal ‘delay’

By Vicky Smith
July 04, 2012

The legal agreement for Wokingham’s long-awaited town centre regeneration has still yet to be signed two months after it was promised – but leading figures behind the project have urged people to keep the faith.

Key members behind the scheme at Wokingham Borough Council came under fire this week from the former executive member for community regeneration, who labelled the delay in signing the legal agreement a result of “incompetence”.

In a statement issued in mid-April, council officers heading up the project said the legal agreement would be signed later that month.

Town centre 2016 regeneration deadline ‘not set in stone’

Yet this week, the paperwork had still to be signed and no date has been given for this, although members of the council’s executive committee gave their approval to the legal agreement with developer Wilson Bowden at a meeting last Thursday.

Matt Deegan, who stood down from his seat in Earley at the elections in May, had promised members of Wokingham Town Centre Forum the legal agreement was ready to go at a meeting in April and stated it would “take an idiot to mess it up now” before his departure.

'Get behind town centre regeneration plea'

Mr Deegan said: “We have had over 20 different meetings to gather public opinion.

“I am disappointed for the businesses and residents of Wokingham that the paperwork has not yet been signed.

“There is a real lack of direction, purpose and conviction from the leadership.

“I know from personal experience there are a lot of people who care deeply about the town who must be as frustrated as I am. It saddens me the council is wasting so much time.”

He added: “The number of member briefings on the town where members did not turn up was shocking. People are happy to turn up to regular public council meetings and take their allowance, but some won’t turn up to internal meetings, to make sure they are engaging with debate before decisions are taken, even when it affects the area they have been elected to represent.”

New executive member for regeneration Councillor Alistair Corrie said the legal agreement had not changed since he took over the portfolio in May, stating the delay in signing was due to him wanting to fully understand the paperwork before committing to the deal.

Cllr Corrie said: “I am sorry if people’s expectations are different to where we are at now. For me there hasn’t been a delay as I wasn’t given any other dates relating to signing of the agreement.”

Cllr David Lee, leader of the council, assured residents the legal agreement would be signed soon, although he could not give a date for when this would happen.

He added a planning application for the corner of Rose Street and Market Place refurbishment is due later this month and that further plans for Elms Field and Peach Street are due in September.

An exhibition showcasing the latest town centre plans will be held in a tent on Elms Field in Elms Road on Friday, July 13, and Saturday, July 14.

Architects behind the scheme and members of the council will answer questions and gather opinion.

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@right said fred - I was thinking the same when the date was announced ;)

alex_f, Wokingham
09/07/2012 at 08:34

an exhibition on friday 13th,not a good start.

right said fred
07/07/2012 at 11:13

Hi g.b - indeed you are correct, I do not, so I do not have the emotional and personal involvement or first hand experience that some may have. I have however been deeply involved in community activities throughout my life and grown up practically living (and working / running during my studies) in my parents' restaurant based in a town which has been decimated by a town centre based supermarket.

But that surely doesn't make what I say irrelevant. I'm actually merely stating just the facts in most of my posts. I'm not dismissing your arguments, in fact I agree with most of what you have said. I honestly feel for those businesses struggling, as my parents were a few years ago before having to close. I also wish business rates (and rent) were lower for all shops. My parents saw rents and rates rising due to the economic benefits the supermarket was meant to bring, when in fact it was entirely the opposite.

I'm merely providing the reason which has been given for the rents / rates being lower, which I would imagine are understandable. Your last post implies that because of the lower rates for the Peach Street shops, businesses elsewhere are closing. Is this really the case? There are no direct competitors in these new shops for any of the businesses you have mentioned.

If you were to set up a new business in Wokingham, would you open in a unit which is about to be demolished, or a unit which will remain, if they were the same rent and rates?

alex_f, Wokingham
06/07/2012 at 11:54

Alex. You obviously don't have a business in Wokingham. A lot of people are paying twice as much in rates as the WBC tenants in Peach Street, and this is closing businesses down. Sadly the shoe shop has closed in Peach Street, and I know of at least three other businesses who are trying to get rid or get out of their leases in Peach Street. Very few major retailers are opening new stores at the moment, and some are saying they do better on the internet, and will not be opening more shops in the future. So where does that leave the regeneration? I am personally in favour of it, but wonder where all these new shops are going to come from, and where all the shoppers they hope to attract are coming from.

g.b.
06/07/2012 at 10:30

g.b - I'm sure you know already, the rent / rates are only lower in the shops because they are due to be knocked down in 2015, and they would have found it difficult to let them out otherwise.

The risk to them though is that if they establish a business and are successful, it will be for little benefit as they'll need to find somewhere else come 2015. If there are successful ones, I hope they would be welcomed in one of the new units.

alex_f, Wokingham
05/07/2012 at 19:34

It is a shame that Wokingham District Council don't do more to help the shops they already have in Wokingham. Although they have let the empty shops in Peach Street, owned by them, it is a little known fact that these shops enjoy cheap rents, and more importantly extremely cheap business rates, while everyone else in the town has to pay high business rates. There are nearly as many shops closing down, citing high rent, and especially high rates. For example the little health food shop in Peach Street that has been in Wokingham for years, has a higher business rating than the council owned shops. The councillors at Wokingham Borough council seem to think this is alright.

g.b.
05/07/2012 at 14:05

If the supermarket is going to go ahead no matter what then they could at least try and reduce the overbearing impact that it will have on Elms Field. For example, by filling that side with smaller retail units and having a smaller more discreet entrance into the supermarket from Elms Field and the main entrance to the supermarket from the north or south side of the site instead.

Mark Savill, Wokingham
05/07/2012 at 13:10

DT - I'd imagine that was also the short-termist view of alot councillors in the past, and leading to alot of the issues we have today. I haven't lived in Wokingham long but know of the erosion of the green space over the past decade or so. I was quite disappointed to see the development on the old cricket ground recently. This would have been a great opportunity to expand the available green space in the town centre.

I think the fact is that most of the details are already set in stone for the Wokingham regen and little is going to change from now on. It looks like the supermarket and Elms Field development were decided a long ago...

What we can probably expect from the exhibition is not to help make decisions on whether there should be a supermarket or not, but far smaller things (should it be borders of pansies or daffodils in the new park ;) ).

Whilst not in favour of the supermarket, I am still very much looking forward to seeing the new plans. As I mentioned, I am hopeful some aspects will bring some benefit Wokingham residents and shop owners. I hope it will bring more footfall to help existing and new shop owners. I hope it provides an environment for independent traders to thrive alongside the high street retailers who will inevitably come. I hope the architecture will be alot more sympathetic than the 60s/70s monstrosities ruining the view now.

alex_f, Wokingham
05/07/2012 at 13:01

Basically, I'd juts appreciate honesty from our public officials. Just say 'we're going to build a massive shop there because it will make lots of money, and we'll all look brilliant in the first year when the figures come in. And we'll be gone soon after, so why do we care if a very popular green space is eroded and damaged forever'?

Damiano_Tommassi, Wokingham
05/07/2012 at 12:16

Thanks alex_f.

here's what I took from one of those articles: He (Cllr Deegan) said: “I talked with Cllr David Lee [leader of the borough council] after the meeting. He did a similar meeting last year, where 100 per cent of the audience were against the food store.

“But this time I think six of the audience were in favour of it, half were anti and the rest were neither for or against and are wanting to be convinced.

“That is how I saw the straw poll."

So... they had a meeting about it where EVERYONE was against it; held another meeting later where a minority might not have been against it (reading through the bluster and BS); and they're still going to do it. Democracy!

Damiano_Tommassi, Wokingham
05/07/2012 at 12:14

PS - I recall the argument for the new units on Elms Field was that there weren't enough large units in Wokingham to accommodate larger retailers. Not sure what that means, but my guess is that means more targetting towards the typical high street type of business (Topshop, Waterstones, Next, Body Shop...).

Further details of the detailed plans so far seem to be available by the way on the planning portal - right down to unit sizes:

http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/planningcontrol/planning/planningapplications/searchplanningapplications/

application number: SO/2012/1043

alex_f, Wokingham
05/07/2012 at 11:24

Hi DT, I agree with you that as much green space needs to be retained as possible. What I meant by the comment (not my view) was the position from WBC, i.e. http://www.getwokingham.co.uk/news/s/2089976_supermarket_essential_for_regeneration.

I personally wouldn't choose to have a supermarket there, and I'm sure many people will question this again on Friday. It is the main aspect of the regeneration I do not agree with. Supermarkets have time and time again shown to mark the beginning of the end of a town centre. My hometown is a prime example - now sporting 'virtual' shops very quickly following the introduction of a Morrisons right in the heart of the town centre next to the main car park: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/843718-recession-hit-redcar-sets-up-fake-shops.

alex_f, Wokingham
05/07/2012 at 10:43

alex_f, what did you mean by "the Elms Field development was never an option, but a mandatory part of the regeneration (well the supermarket bit anyway)." - what wasn't a choice there? As a few people have said here (previously at least), I don't see the need to concrete over Elms field or to build a superstore at the bottom of it, especially when there is so much empty space in the part of town where people actually go to shop.

Damiano_Tommassi, Wokingham
05/07/2012 at 10:04

The Grande Baguette was clearly the type of business which would have benefitted from day shoppers (rather than people having to go out of their way or specifically for something in the Peach Place parade), hence my original point. It was sad to see another independent closing, I think any business primarily aimed at lunchtime / day shopper business would find it difficult there.

The type of businesses I was describing are the multiple Indian restaurants and Chinese takeaways in this area which seem to do quite well. Most of the restaurants are pretty packed on weekends (certainly Tamarind Tree). Haka often is crammed full of people, I've regularly spent 20 minutes waiting in a queue there, even though they appear to cook at the speed of light.