An article published in the Echo on 26th October, Laindon shopping revamp welcomed, described how 400 people responded to a public consultation held by the developers of Laindon shopping centre.

This prompted the following letters to the paper.

Beware of promises on town's masterplan
John Rushton, Guernsey Gardens. 29 October 2007
   I offer a word of warning to those people in Laindon who were consulted on their development plan.
   We had a similar consultation exercise in 2005, where the Wickford Town Centre Masterplan was revealed.
   It showed a regeneration of the High Street and other areas in the town centre, which everyone agreed needed something doing to brighten it up, and many people were in favour of the plan, which showed attractive low-level buildings.
   But on the same day the council analysed the results of the consultation, it made significant changes to the plan, increasing the number of flats needed to pay for it from 490 to 585.
   It also reported that the consultation recorded that residents didn't want too much residential development nor high rise buildings, yet in spite of this it recommended that "the development of relatively high-rise buildings would provide more of a sense of place and identity than that currently existing, and act as a focus for the whole of the town."
   And "while it may be understandable that high-rise development is viewed with some misgivings, developments five to six storeys in height would be reasonable in the town centre".
   In other words, we were duped by the same councillors who are trying to do the same to the people of Laindon!
   Of course, the developer will be reporting that you are all in favour, that's the nature of the beast, but we expect better from our councillors, who should be looking after our interests.
   It will be interesting to see if they come clean on the actual results of the "consultation", and not leave it to the clearly biased developer.
   If you want to see what the council is doing to Wickford, look at www.WickfordActionGroup.org.uk

Brightening up the town centre is just not enough
Steve Horgan, Cabinet member for regeneration and green issues, Lower St. 1 November 2007
   Wickford Town Centre doesn’t need ‘something doing to brighten it up’ which is the view of the 'Wickford Action Group' (Oct 29)
   It needs proper regeneration to halt its decline. If you don't think that there is a serious problem then talk to the traders on the High Street, including the one who asked me if it was worth renewing the lease and staying in business because things have got so bad. 
   If you don't think that a town centre can go badly wrong then go to Grays or Laindon town centres and consider what having half of the local shops boarded up does to a community.
  Basildon Council is not waiting for Wickford to reach a terminal state, which is why there is a Master Plan.
   As for town centre housing; this is government policy, which means that a local Council cannot turn down legal planning applications for residences in the Town Centre. 
   We also don’t want to build on the surrounding Green belt that is Wickford’s vital green lung and gives the town so much of its character as a town instead of a suburb of Basildon. 
   What is most disappointing is that the Wickford Action Group is trying to rubbish regeneration efforts elsewhere in Basildon District, particularly in Laindon where regeneration of the Town Centre is desperately needed. 
   They go so far as to claim that Councillors are misleading the people of Laindon in the consultation process there. In fact the consultation that has been going on is by the private owners of the Laindon Centre and nothing to do with the Council. So, who is misleading who?

From Cllr Carole Morris, The Hastings 6 November 2007
   John Rushton (29 Oct) is alleging that consultation results on the Wickford masterplan have been hidden and are being mis-represented. The results have been made public on several occasions, so this claim does not hold water. Just who is it that is doing the mi-representing?

All flats, but still no improvements 
Karen Squires, Azalia Avenue. 6 November 2007, 0 comments
   Steve Horgan seems to not understand about the Wickford masterplan (Nov 1).
   Residents are not against our actual town centre being improved, what we object to is the fact that so far there is no sign of this.
   My complaints are things such as commuter parking - today there is not a single space left in my road. The reason they are here is to save money and now Frasiers car park has been closed for more new flats to be built, our road is a death-trap.
   Our centre car park has now been reduced in view of long-term stay spaces being allocated and fines imposed on anyone with a valid ticket for a couple of hours and still there are no mother and baby spaces available.
   My son's walk to school in the past year has been a danger run due to the building of new flats in Irvon Hill Road (all still empty, despite being on the market six months or more).
   Next year his school walk and education will take place next to a building site as the swimming pool is demolished and the medical centre and flats are built.
   So far this is nearly all flats development - no High Street improvements.
   When Wickford Action Group speaks of brightening up the centre we mean the fact there are 5ft-high weeds, graffiti, dog and bird mess, vandalism, no public toilets, no baby changing facilities, lack of affordable commuter parking, etc.
   If Mr Horgan's real interest is our green fields, please find me one left not under threat in Wickford - they are all earmarked for development.

Wickford people want it left as it is, not built up
Karen Squires, Azalea Avenue. 7 November 2007
   Councillor Carole Morris suggests the results of the Wickford masterplan have been made public on several occasions.
   Correction. The results of a survey so loosely worded any answer could be mis-interpretated to reflect support was compiled and 63 per cent of the 2,000 surveys sent out indicated support.
   This is hardly a true reflection of the 30,000 plus population of Wickford.
   Also the only figures made public are those figures the council deemed acceptable for publication.
   I was at the first community meeting when the masterplan was suggested. One councillor got so irate at residents' refusal to accept the plan she stood up and shouted "maybe you would all just prefer it if we did nothing to Wickford". The standing ovation she received was the true reflection of feeling here.
   However, councillors don't attend community meetings because they "have other far more important meetings" and in Mr Buckley's words "it is going ahead regardless of opposition. Nothing will stop us". That says it all about the council's respect for residents.
   I just wish they would stop trying to justify what they are doing and admit despite the fact we are opposed to it, they want it, so we are going to get it.

Letter from Stephen Hillier, Ward member for Langdon Hills, 7 November 2007
   I am appalled at the arrogance of the member of the Wickford Action Group, who felt the need to offer "a word of warning" to the people of Laindon.
   There are few parallels between the towns and the thing that should be upper-most in the minds of everyone is if something does not happen to Laindon Centre very soon the town will simply disappear.
   Once upon a time Laindon had shops along the High Road from the current centre to the Triangle. It had a garage, a hotel and thriving businesses.
   The only remaining parts of old Laindon are the few units at Parkinson's Corner.
Laindon has suffered from two major impacts - poor planning decisions and the fact that the centre is in the ownership of a single body.
   Those businesses currently in the centre are desperate to see something done to improve it. Doing nothing at Laindon is not an option. A bit of brightening up will not do it.
   And a bit of brightening up won't do it for Wickford either. Unless things are done to halt the decline of Wickford, it will go the way of Laindon.  

Golden opportunity for Wickford
Roy Kebbell, Deidre Avenue. 13 November 2007, 7 comments
   Like Stephen Hillier I, too, am appalled at the arrogance of Karen Squires and the Wickford Action Group who purport to represent the residents of Wickford when they only speak for a small minority in condemning the Wickford masterplan.
   As a long- time resident I welcome any initiative that will breathe new life into a moribund town centre.
   Look at the facts. Almost every building of historical interest or architectural merit in Wickford town centre was swept away years ago to be replaced by poor quality structures of dismal design typical of the 1960s and 1970s.
   The High Street area has now deteriorated so badly it must be one of ugliest in Britain with hardly a retail unit of note.
   So what precisely is the Wickford Action Group trying to preserve? Surely not the derelict garages along Runwell Road or the other numerous dilapidated buildings scattered around the town centre.
   The building of flats in the town centre, far better than using the local green belt, and the other proposals to regenerate the area can only be an improvement on what we have, so we should give our support to Basildon Council or lose a golden opportunity.

Too much, too high and not wanted
John Rushton, Guernsey Gardens. 14 November 2007
   My letter about the pitfalls of Basildon council led 'consultations' on the regeneration of towns rattled a few cages as the follow up letters from a number of councillors show.
   I still feel very strongly that if the council bothers to to ask the public for their opinions on the Wickford masterplan, then it shouldn't go against this and follow its own agenda.
   The report published by the council on 16th February 2006, showed 'resistance to multi-storey' and 'too much residential development'.
  However, despite that, the council's recommendations included 'developments 5 to 6 storeys in height would be reasonable in the town centre'. And increased the number of flats in the masterplan from 490 to 598, after we had responded.
  The report also added the development control committee's resolution to grant planning permission for two blocks in Riverside Place, which had more than doubled in size. How can the council know the planning committee are resolved to grant planning permission for these two developments?
   These were not included in the consultation process. This is what I mean when I say we are being mislead.
   I can only repeat that I, and the Wickford Action Group, do want to see Wickford regenerated, and building houses and flats in the town centre has to be part of this, but what is now happening, 2 years after our 'consultation' is that a number of 4, 5 and 6 story blocks have already been approved in the town centre, with no sign of the Master Plan benefits or supporting infrastructure. 
   It is just TOO MUCH, and TOO HIGH, and it isn't what the public wanted. It isn't what they responded to in the consultations.