‘Serious questions over lack of transparency’ as popular council car park declared ‘surplus’ and faces sell off
The controversial sale of Jackson’s Lane car park in Wellingborough has been approved, without any scrutiny or public consultation.
By Sarah Ward
A ‘worrying habit of taking big decisions without proper oversight’ was levelled at North Northamptonshire Council yesterday as the authority approved the sale of a popular town centre car park.
Several years after the former Wellingborough Borough Council dropped plans to develop Jackson’s Lane car park following a huge public backlash, the Reform UK led North Northamptonshire Council has resolved to approve its sale.
The pleas of several local councillors were ignored, as the administration decided to declare the asset as ‘surplus to requirements’, along with a number of other buildings. Since the sell off came to light (when the council papers were published last week) there has been huge public disquiet, but the protests could not stop the sale.
The authority is currently predicting a £15m overspend this financial year, although monies raised by the sales of buildings cannot be used to plug overspends in everyday funding.
The sale of the car park has been promoted by the council, as part of a new masterplan for the town centre, which will be drawn up in the coming months.
Wellingborough Town councillor Marion Turner Hawes (independent), who spoke at the meeting, said if the council sold the land it would have no control over what happens to it.
She said:
“These assets, this asset is not yours. These are our parks, facilities, community spaces and car parks. They are the building blocks of our lives and our communities. You are the custodians of these, not their owners. They are not surplus to our requirements. We want to see them improved to help our community and our town centre enhanced.
“Jackson’s Lane car park could help residents, support businesses, improve our town, support our nighttime economy and provide safe space for excess cars from neighbouring roads, making them safer and easier to use.”
She added:
“Most people would support improvement to the area. Some would support the carpark development, but selling off this car park leaves you, the council, with no control over what happens next.
“We might expect, you might expect, to oversee its development through the planning process, but given my experience of the ineffective planning enforcement, that seems unlikely. If the council wants to champion families and communities, you need to have it emblazoned on your hearts. Nothing about us, without us.
“We ask you to stop this sale and enable the reimagining of this site in partnership with us, the people, the businesses and the communities of Wellingborough.”
And fellow town councillor Chris Ashton (Labour) said he was shocked the authority wanted to dispose of the asset which he said was busy throughout the week.
He said:
“The council’s plan talks about increasing the vitality and vibrancy of the town centre, which I welcome. So how does making the town centre harder to access support any of this, with this council clearly planning to take our free car parking and take the car parks themselves? It feels like Reform and the council are actively working against our town centres.
“You cannot claim to support our town centres while quietly selling off the very infrastructure people rely on to access them. If you want residents to shop locally, you don’t start by removing car parks. This proposal repeats the mistakes of the past, ignores local opposition, and reflects a worrying habit of taking big decisions without proper oversight, exactly like what we saw from the previous conservative administration.”
And the deputy mayor of Wellingborough Town Council Sylvia Erksine (Labour) said the issue had caused a lot of concern locally and said the town council had not been aware of the plans.
She said:
“Jackson’s Lane car park is not a luxury, it’s a vital community asset that supports residents, faith groups, community organisations and the loss would have lasting consequences.”
And NNC councillor for Wellingborough’s Victoria ward David Baker (Labour) criticised the authority for how it has handled the matter.
He said:
“I am not against the development of a town centre brownfield site, if a proper process has been followed, proper consultation has taken place and there has been proper scrutiny. None of that appears to be the case and this raises serious questions over the lack of transparency and makes me question what this council is so afraid of.”
The authority’s plan has not received any scrutiny of the matter, before it went to the executive.
The council’s director of place George Candler said the briefing note which went to scrutiny (chaired by a member of the Reform UK administration) was ‘within the confines of what can be done’. He said the money gained from the land sales would reduce the council’s need to borrow money.
Cabinet member Cllr Ken Harrington, who represents the Hatton Park ward in Wellingborough said ‘if I had a fiver for every email I’d had on this, I could have put myself on a world cruise.’
But he said the reality was that the car park was rarely fully used and said ‘nothing is being done behind people’s backs.
Cllr Martin Griffiths, who had been in favour of the development as leader of the former borough council and now backs it as leader of the larger unitary authority, said:
“Can I make it absolutely clear. There are no plans to close the car park element of Jackson’s Lane ahead of any marketing exercise that we carry out on the whole site. The whole site is 6.26 acres and not all of that is taken up with car parking.”
He said the authority was at stage two of a ten stage process.
Builder Keepmoat had wanted to develop the site previously. It remains to be seen if the firm will come forward again for a second shot.
The other assets to be disposed of in a sale which could net the authority £7m are; the former Henley Centre off Saunders Close in Kettering; Beech Close in Desborough, a parcel of land off John Clark Way in Rushden and 13.6 acres of green field land at Glenvale Park in Wellingborough, which the council currently leases to a tenant farmer.