Save The Wixams Masterplan

The latest plan now resembles a modest district centre rather than the civic and economic heart originally envisioned.
 

The current proposal centres around:

• A supermarket anchor

• A limited number of retail units

• Smaller-scale community buildings

• Reduced leisure provision

• A single small food and beverage venue

• Surface parking and future development plots
   

Many previously promised facilities have either been:

• Removed entirely

• Reduced in scale

• Merged into smaller shared-use buildings

• Relocated elsewhere

• Or replaced by housing land
   

The Loss of Civic Infrastructure

Originally, Wixams was expected to include:

• A standalone library

• A dedicated assembly hall

• A multi-faith facility

• An Educational Interpretive Facility

• Village halls across multiple villages

• Significant public and cultural spaces
   

Over time, these have increasingly been consolidated into smaller multi-purpose buildings with reduced standalone civic identity.

The dedicated library, for example, was removed and replaced with a shared room within the assembly hall.
 

This shift fundamentally changes the role of the town centre — from a genuine civic destination to a more limited convenience-led centre.
 

Employment and Business Space Removed

One of the clearest examples of reduced ambition is the removal of the planned 16 Business Incubator Units.
 

These units were intended to:

• Support local start-ups

• Encourage local employment

• Create economic activity within Wixams itself

• Reduce commuter dependence
   

Their removal significantly weakens the town’s long-term economic sustainability and undermines the original concept of Wixams as a balanced settlement rather than simply a residential expansion.
 

Compared to many other major Urban&Civic developments, Wixams now appears to contain:

• Less dedicated employment space

• Fewer commercial opportunities

• A smaller and less ambitious mixed-use centre
   

Other Urban&Civic developments increasingly promote:

• Employment districts

• Destination leisure

• Larger town centre environments

• Flexible workspace and innovation hubs
   

Wixams, by contrast, has gradually shifted toward a housing-led model with a comparatively modest commercial core.
 

Retail Provision Has Been Reduced Across the Entire Settlement

The issue is not simply the scale of the town centre itself.
 

Originally, Wixams was designed around multiple villages, each with:

• Local retail provision

• Community facilities

• Walkable neighbourhood services
   

However, over successive renegotiations:

• Village 2 retail units were removed

• Village 4 retail units were removed

• Land was released for housing instead
   

This has two major consequences:

1. Greater Reliance on the Town Centre

Residents across Wixams are now expected to depend far more heavily on the main town centre for:

• Convenience shopping

• Social activity

• Day-to-day services
   

Yet the town centre itself has simultaneously been reduced in scale and ambition.
 

2. Reduced Walkability and Sustainability

The original concept promoted:

• Walkable neighbourhoods

• Reduced car dependency

• Local daily needs within each village
   

Removing local retail undermines that principle and increases reliance on:

• Car journeys

• External towns

• Centralised provision
   

This moves Wixams further away from the original “self-contained settlement” model.
 

Sports, Leisure and Health Facilities Reduced

The original Wixams vision included:
 

• A dedicated multi-purpose sports centre

• Indoor leisure facilities

• Gym provision

• 12 football pitches

• 8 tennis courts

• Multiple changing facilities

• Extensive recreation infrastructure
   

Over time, these proposals have steadily reduced.
 

At the most recent revision:

• Football pitches were reduced from 12 to 8

• Tennis courts were reduced from 8 to 5

• Facilities were merged into smaller combined buildings

• And the proposed gym facility was removed entirely
   

This is particularly significant because resident consultation repeatedly showed strong demand for:

• Sports and leisure facilities

• Health and wellbeing provision

• Gym and fitness access within the town centre
   

The loss of these facilities further weakens the ability of Wixams town centre to become a vibrant destination for both residents and visitors.
 

A Very Limited Food & Drink Offer

The latest town centre plan includes a single food and beverage unit labelled “F&B”, proposed at approximately 2,000 sq ft.
 

This is relatively small in scale — equivalent to:

• A modest pub

• Small restaurant

• Café/bar venue
   

For a settlement of Wixams’ size, and particularly one located beside:

• A proposed 4-platform railway station

• A major regional visitor destination

• A potentially transformative economic opportunity
   

…this level of hospitality provision is extremely limited.
 

Rather than creating:

• A lively evening economy

• Independent restaurants and cafés

• Bedfordshire food and drink destinations

• A social heart for the wider community
   

…the current proposal risks delivering only the minimum viable commercial offer.
 

The Universal Opportunity

The proposed nearby Universal Studios development changes the context of Wixams entirely.
 

Combined with the upgraded railway station, Wixams could become:

• A gateway destination

• A hospitality and visitor hub

• A showcase for Bedfordshire businesses

• A centre for independent retail, artisan producers and local food culture
   

Critically, it could become the opposite of Universal

Not another globalised commercial environment — but something authentic, local, sustainable and rooted in Bedfordshire identity.
 

A town centre built around:

• Independent markets

• Artisan retail

• Local cafés and microbreweries

• Green public spaces

• Events and culture

• Community life

This is the opportunity many residents believe is currently being missed.
 

The Bigger Concern

The pattern over the last 25 years has been consistent:

• Facilities reduced

• Land released for housing

• Commitments scaled back

• Ambition lowered
   

An attitude has gradually emerged that “What’s done is done.”
 

However, the arrival of Universal Studios and improved regional connectivity means the long-term future of Wixams is no longer fixed.
 

The opportunity still exists to rethink what the town could become.