Aylesbury Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats on Aylesbury Vale District Council desperately want the Waterside scheme to succeed – after all, the principle of the development was ours and we acquired the electricity board land for it in the first place.

However, we are deeply concerned about the way that the project is currently being handled.

In particular, we believe that:
1) There has been excessive use of the confidentiality provisions of the Local Government Act, which has stifled genuine debate;
2) There has been inadequate public consultation over the way that the scheme has developed. What we now believe to be on offer is far removed from that which was originally consulted on;
3) The Council’s recent Press Statement glossed over serious the delays that have occurred to the project and significant abortive costs that have arisen;
4) There has been little or no attempt to gain and maintain the support of existing users of the Civic Centre for the scheme as it develops and insufficient consideration is being given to ways to close the gap between the shutting of the Civic and the opening of the new facility;
5) The provision of flats/apartments on the north east corner of the site needs to be reconsidered in the light of the large quantity of this type of accommodation that has been or is being given planning permission in or near the centre of Aylesbury;
6) There must be a guarantee that AVDC will continue to provide a one-stop shop customer service centre in the centre of Aylesbury.
7) The original scheme promised a cohesive approach that would deliver a comprehensive development that would promote Aylesbury as a quality retail and leisure destination. Whilst that scheme may no longer be deliverable, it has not yet been demonstrated publicly that the revised scheme meets the same objectives.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Cllr Alan Sherwell, commented “This scheme is a once in a life time opportunity and the Council must get it right. The Administration’s current obsession with confidentiality is making it difficult to involve people in discussions about the project to build a consensus for taking it forward. The fiasco over the inclusion of the Roman Catholic Church site in the development is a prime example of how not to do things. Just because something can be confidential does not mean that it must be.”

Cllr Keith Turner, Councillor for Central Aylesbury, pointed out “As the Councillor for the Town Centre, I naturally feel very strongly about development in this area. I want to see a vibrant Aylesbury that caters for the varied needs of all our residents, Waterside can contribute massively to this but that will only happen if people are properly consulted. I am also concerned that the dithering of the last few years has cost the Council a lot of money and I will be asking questions in Council to determine how much has been lost as a result.”

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Cllr Ian Metherell, who represents Marsh Gibbon Ward, added “The success of Waterside is vital to the whole of the Vale and I am particularly concerned that the retail provision must meet the needs of the whole District as it grows over the next 20 years. The development of a close working relationship with the owners of Hale Leys can only be beneficial but it would appear that changes to the original retail proposals are being contemplated without any open discussion amongst Councillors, let alone the community as a whole. I am also concerned about the inclusion of the Council’s premises at 66 High St in the proposal – it is absolutely vital for the people of the Vale as a whole that the Council continues to provide a one-stop shop Customer Service Centre in the centre of Aylesbury.”

The Liberal Democrat group will continue to fight for a successful Waterside scheme but will be pressing vigourously for improvements to the proposals themselves and in the way that the whole debate is handled. We continue to be prepared to work with all parties to achieve this but not through informal groups outside the Council’s prescribed processes. Accordingly, we will be calling for the establishment, at the Council’s Annual Meeting, of a special Scrutiny Committee to oversee the Council’s considerable investment of time and money in the Waterside project.

Aylesbury Liberal Democrats

News

Waterside Fiasco
12th February 2006

News