Save The Wixams Masterplan

Press Statement: Save the Wixams Masterplan

Wixams Was Promised a Town — Not Just Housing

In Wixams, thousands of residents have moved into what was originally promoted as one of the UK’s flagship sustainable new communities.

The 1999 Elstow New Settlement Planning and Development Brief set out a bold vision: a network of thriving, self-contained villages supported by schools, healthcare, shops, sports facilities, community buildings, employment space and extensive green infrastructure — all centred around a properly planned town centre and railway station.
 

Over the last 25 years, that vision has been repeatedly reduced.
 

This campaign — Save the Wixams Masterplan — exists to hold councils and developers accountable for the growing gap between what was promised and what is now being delivered.
 

A Pattern of Reductions

Successive Section 106 (S106) renegotiations in 2016, 2022 and 2025 have steadily scaled back the original commitments made to residents.
 

Facilities removed, reduced or altered include:

• 16 business incubator units removed

• 22 public art locations removed

• A dedicated library was replaced with a room inside another building

• Village retail removed and land released for housing

• Sports and leisure facilities reduced in scale

• Football pitches reduced from 12 to 8

• Tennis courts reduced from 8 to 5

• Community facilities merged or downsized
   

At the same time, housing development has continued.

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The result is a town where residents increasingly rely on surrounding areas for healthcare, shopping, leisure and employment — despite those facilities forming part of the original promise of Wixams.

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Residents Are Clear About What They Want

Community survey results featured on the campaign website show strong support for:

• A proper town centre

• A supermarket and local retail

• Healthcare facilities and a GP surgery

• Cafés, pubs and restaurants

• Community spaces and public squares

• Sports and leisure provision

• Employment opportunities and independent businesses
   

The survey also shows growing concern that Wixams will fail to meet the expectations residents had when they moved there.
 

This is not opposition to growth.
 

It is a call for growth to be properly planned.
 

Universal Studios Changes Everything

The proposed nearby Universal Studios development represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the region.
 

Expected to bring:

• Around 20,000 construction jobs

• Around 8,000 permanent jobs

• Millions of visitors every year
   

it could transform the economic future of the area.
 

But without a full review of the Wixams masterplan, the risk is clear:

• More pressure on roads and infrastructure

• Increased strain on healthcare and services

• More housing without matching facilities

• A dormitory settlement absorbing impacts without sharing the benefits
   

At other Universal locations globally — including Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore — long-term success came from integrated planning, infrastructure investment and strong surrounding communities.
 

Wixams deserves the same ambition.
 

What This Campaign Is Calling For

The Save the Wixams Masterplan campaign is calling for:

• A full review of the Wixams masterplan

• Greater transparency from councils and developers

• Infrastructure to match population growth

• Delivery of promised town centre facilities

• Protection of community land and services

• A long-term strategy that allows Wixams to benefit from regional growth and investment
   

The Bottom Line

Wixams was meant to be a model for sustainable development:
a connected, vibrant, fully-served community.
 

Instead, residents have seen a steady erosion of the original vision while housing numbers continue to rise.
 

With Universal Studios now set to reshape the region, the stakes are higher than ever.
 

This is the moment to decide whether Wixams will:

• continue drifting further from the original masterplan,

• or finally become the thriving town it was always supposed to be.

Review. Restore. Deliver.