Regeneration Plans for Bracknell Town on Hold

What has happened to the great regeneration plans for Bracknell Town?

Following years of delay Councillor Bettison has said to the local press that 'Any such development must be demand led'. So what does demand led mean? This means that the town centre redevelopment will only happen on an adhoc basis will be a very slow in happening. It will look nothing like the plans here http://www.Bracknell-forest.gov.uk/environment/env-regeneration.htm .


Bracknell town centre is looking outdated and there are now a number of empty shops and buildings. Although some of these empty buildings are due to the recession some are also due to the short leases and delay and uncertainty in the town centre planning.

Its not only the fact that the plans have been delayed for so long its also the cost of these plans. I can remember the surveys being carried out all over the town for the regeneration plans. The costs of the development plans themselves and the exhibition in town showing people how their town centre could look if only it happened. The local conservative party has been in control of the local government since 1997, which means they have had plenty of time to carry out the plans for the ambitious redevelopment. If it was not possible then maybe a less ambitious plan should of been considered.

Could this be yet another reason for councillor Paul Bettison not making the short list for the open primary as this would of been an easy stick for opposition parties to point out in the leaflets.

Why is Paul Bettison not on the Bracknell Tory primary shortlist?

There is an interesting story that the deputy political editor of the Evening Standard Paul Waugh has on his blog today.

He has reported that Conservative Home are saying that Paul Bettison, leader of Bracknell Forest Borough Council has been excluded from the shortlist for the upcoming open primary.

There are suspicions that the reason why this may have happened could be partly due to criticism Bettison made of Conservative Party Chairman Eric Pickles' use of language around so called "bin taxes":

I wish Eric Pickles would stop calling them bin taxes. It is very galling. They are bin charges. They are not taxes at all. You pay for the service you get. The current system of invisible waste charges is much more like a tax. I know what it is like to be in opposition, but many of us Conservatives are in power in local authorities, trying to run waste services, and he is not helping us.

(BBC News 26 November 2008)

Paul also reports criticisms Mr Bettison apparently made of Shadow Chancellor and key David Cameron ally George Osborne's plans to cut council tax.

I don't know the ins and outs of this but what I would say is that open primaries are supposed to be just that, open. If a successful and leading local Conservative politician has been excluded from the shortlist, whatever the reason then this does not say much for the democratic process that these primaries are supposed to embody.

I would be interested to hear what other local residents think about this.