25 years of stripping back ...
DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS
How did we
get here?
we
In Wixams, the original vision set out in the 1999 Elstow New Settlement Planning and Development Brief promised something ambitious: a truly self-contained new town built around vibrant, well-served villages, each with its own schools, shops, healthcare, green spaces and community heart.
This document became known as The Wixams Masterplan.
It was a plan rooted in balance—where daily life could happen locally, supported by a thriving town centre and connected through walkable streets and sustainable transport. Yet over the past 25 years, that vision has been steadily eroded.
Commitments have been scaled back, facilities delayed or reduced, and the principle of fully equipped, independent neighbourhoods has been compromised time and again.
What was once intended to be a model of thoughtful, long-term place-making now risks falling short of the very standards that defined it—leaving a growing community without the infrastructure it was promised.
Compounding this has been the arrival of Universal Studios on our doorstep with the response of our elected officials being that we should scale back our town even further and be grateful for the use of the theme park's facilities.
We believe that this is fundamentally flawed and that Wixams should be scaling up in response to the commercial opportunities that it affords, not contracting and being grateful for the scraps thrown at it.
It could have been so different
OUR TOWN HAS BEEN ERODED OVER 25 YEARS
Our facilities were defined in an S106 document, what is that?
A Section 106 (S106) agreement is a legally binding planning obligation between a property developer and a local authority in England and Wales. It’s used to make sure that when new developments are built, the necessary infrastructure and community facilities are provided alongside them.
In simple terms:
It’s a contract that says: “If you build this, you must also provide or fund these things.”
What does an S106 typically include?
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Schools (land or funding)
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Healthcare provision (e.g. GP sites)
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Roads and transport improvements
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Parks and open space
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Community facilities (halls, libraries, sports centres)
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Affordable housing
Why it matters
Without an S106 agreement, large housing developments could:
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Overload local services
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Lack key infrastructure
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Become poorly connected “dormitory” areas
S106 ensures developments are liveable, balanced communities, not just housing estates.
However, these legally binding agreements can be changed through renegotiations...
What this means for us
The original S106 agreement for Wixams set out all the facilities intended to be delivered alongside the homes.
Over time, renegotiations of that S106 have:
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Removed some commitments
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Reduced others
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Shifted what gets delivered
Key takeaway
An S106 isn’t just paperwork—it’s the mechanism that protects what a community is promised. When it changes, the outcome of the whole development changes with it.
How did ours change over time?
The Bottom Line
In Wixams today, the town sits in a position far removed from the original vision of a fully self-contained, well-served community.
What was meant to be a balanced network of villages with schools, shops, healthcare and local employment has instead become a place where key facilities have been reduced, merged or never delivered—leaving residents increasingly reliant on surrounding towns.
Yet with the arrival of a major opportunity on its doorstep in the form of a new Universal Studios development, Wixams now stands at a crossroads.
If it fails to act—by restoring its masterplan, demanding proper infrastructure, and planning for growth—it risks becoming little more than a dormitory settlement under pressure from both housing expansion and visitor demand.
But if it seizes the moment, Wixams could still evolve into the thriving, well-connected community it was always meant to be.
