Recession Hits Town Centre Masterplans
Echo 6 September 2010, Jon Austin

LAST week the Echo revealed Basildon's £1 billion town centre masterplan had been scaled back radically from its original plan in 2006. Here Echo political reporter JON AUSTIN looks at the masterplans developed across south Essex and asks if they promised too much.

WHEN Basildon Council first unveiled a £100million master-plan for Wickford, residents were promised a continental-style town with cafes and tree-lined squares and boulevards.
   The project was dreamed up by consultants DTZ Pieda, who were paid £60,000 in 2005 to create the plan.
   Residents were also promised a new health centre and swimming pool, and market relocated to the high street to increase visitors.
   It was all to be funded by cash injections from the developers of up to 800 new homes, including a luxury flats development in Lower Southend Road.

Not Happening - an artist's impression of a raised river Crouch, and how it looks now

   This project itself - to build 173 flats by the River Crouch - would raise the level of the watercourse, which currently resembles a concrete sewer, to the point that canoeing would be possible, if the artist's impressions released at the time were to be believed.
   Five years on and Wickford still looks pretty much the same, other than less than half of the 173 flats have been built, and there are scruffy looking demolition sites in Runwell Road, the former Frasiers site in London Road and the former Toyota garage of Golden Jubilee Way, where homes developments have stalled.
   When the masterplan was devised no one predicted the recession, and the council has repeatedly blamed the downturn for the masterplan stalling.
   But were these grand plans ever achievable even if the economy had continued to boom or did the consultants just pluck ideas out of a hat?
   It is a fair question to ask as there have been a series of blunders along the way that cannot be blamed on the recession.
   Consultants said it would be possible to raise the level of the River Crouch as it passes through Wickford allowing canoeing and cycle paths and walkways along its edge.
   This was later scrapped after it was found to be far too expensive due to concerns from the Environment Agency over flooding
   Bradgate Developments, run by Chelmsford Tory councillor Ray Ride, had to change its plans for the first phase of the riverside flats because not enough surveys were originally done on the river and sewers.
   The company shelved the second phase of flats which are not being built after problems with getting Royal Mail and other businesses to move from the development site.
   A pedestrian-friendly piazza-style area with bars and restaurants as part of the development has not been built either.
   Another blunder came in 2006 when the council appointed Family Mosaic to develop the new swimming pool and health centre before realising it had to tender the project across the whole of Europe.
   Even when this lengthy process was over the only development consortium interested in delivering the masterplan was Community Solutions for Regeneration, which included Family Mosaic. The consortium and council were unable to reach agreement over the masterplan and the project was scrapped earlier this year when no contact was signed.
   When the masterplan was unveiled in 2005 then council leader Malcolm Buckley said: "This is really great news for Wickford. I am confident once the development is complete we will see a new and improved Wickford emerge. Schemes such as this will help bring about the much needed regeneration of the area bringing in new businesses, improved amenities and better recreational faculties."
   So, looking backdoes he see me masterplan as a waste of time and money?
   He said: "It has certainly not been a failure because it has given us the drive and ambition to create a 21st century town centre for Wickford. Although we have been unable to agree terms to deliver the whole project, we are talking to a number of parties interested in delivering parts of the masterplan."
   He said there should soon be announcements on significant retail investment and possible community facilities.
   "There could be more investment around the station. The fact we have not got a single developer does not mean it will not happen.
   It was the right thing to do and if it had not been for the recession we would see the tree-lined boulevards being developed."
   Alan Ball, chairman of Wickford Action Group, campaigned against the masterplan amid claims it would only lead to the development of flats.
   Mr Ball said: "We were right. It was a total waste of money and as we predicted led to a developers' goldmine to the detriment of local people.
   "It was too ambitious and promised too much but all we got was over 100 flats built with more in the pipeline and no new infrastructure."