This is our Vision of how we would like New Bradwell to be described in
the year 2020. This Vision has been created through the Parish
Appraisal process which has included an Open Meeting attended by over
40 people, a series of Working Groups which over 35 people have taken
part in, visits to local community groups and questionnaires.
A Village in the City in 2020
In the year 2020 New Bradwell still has a village feel, with a strong
sense of community. Located close to the countryside, but with easy
access to the city, good transport links have been retained. Signs on
the roads and canal mark the entrances to New Bradwell, helping to
define where the village starts and ends.
Developing a Heart of the Village
There is a lively community, centred around the High Street and
surrounding area. The High Street has a wide variety of independent and
unique shops, including a Post Office and a Cafe, which are well used
by the local community and also draw in custom from outside of New
Bradwell. A range of measures have been introduced to support these
local businesses, helping the area to thrive. There is a seating area
on the grass opposite the High Street shops, where people stop to rest
and chat.
The Community Centre is well maintained, and home to activities for all
ages. The Library Bus, the Community Cafe and the Toddler groups
continue to thrive, and new groups and services grow both from here and
from the school, working within the extended school programme. A GP
surgery operates within New Bradwell, with Health Clinics available to
all. A Farmers Market is run from the Community Centre, in
collaboration with Wolverton and Stony Stratford. St James Church is a
venue for arts events, open to the whole community.
Improving Community Togetherness
New Bradwell feels like one community, inclusive of all who live here.
Services are available to meet the needs of disadvantaged groups and
there is a Welcome Pack for all new residents, which includes a
directory of local businesses. There is a mixture of type and size of
housing, encouraging a mixture of family groups and single people, and
there is a settled community, people want to stay here. Religious and
cultural diversity is appreciated. There is a place to meet on the St
Peters estate. There are more community events, including a Summer
Festival, centred around the School Carnival. There is a Street Rep for
each street, who work with the Community Action Group and the Parish
Council, developing good communication channels across the whole
village, and tapping into the well used Parish website. There are local
pubs where people feel relaxed and go to meet others. Existing play
areas are maintained and developed and are well used by people of all
ages.
Making the most of the Built Environment
Action has been taken since 2006 to preserve the Victorian buildings
with their original features, with better housing maintenance for both
the old and the newer houses. Measures are taken to ensure that new
buildings are in made in character with those around them, helping to
preserve the Victorian feeling, but there is also room for innovative
'eco friendly' designs. Shops and public buildings are accessible to
all, and the old garage site has been developed. There has been an
assessment of the potential for floodinag, and necessary precautions
have been taken to protect the area. Public buildings have been kept
for community use. The windmill is a well known landmark, is well
preserved and provides a rich educational resource for local and other
schools in the area.
Reclaiming the Streets in 2020
New Bradwell is a safe, comfortable and friendly environment for people
to walk and cycle around, and for children to play. All areas are
accessible to everyone, including those in wheelchairs and with
buggies, with safe crossings, dropped kerbs and well maintained
pavements. Street design is simple and user friendly with adequate
lighting. The village is innovative with better parking management,
'home zones' where pedestrians and children have priority, and 20mph
zones. There are also car clubs and walking buses from the St Peters
estate, over Bradwell Road to the school etc. which all helps to create
a friendly environment where people can walk and talk. The traffic in
the village is made up of local residents and people using New Bradwell
facilities. Through traffic on Newport Road is discouraged by various
traffic calming methods and traffic moves at a slow and safe pace. A
better system has been devised outside the tip, to ease congestion and
the school has a travel plan in place to deal with traffic issues
around it.
Looking after Open and Green Spaces
The village and surrounding areas include many open and green spaces,
which are well maintained and used by the local community. Landscaping
around the built up areas is attractive and the parks have been
developed to include a variety of plants and natural habitats. The
canal and river areas are preserved and are accessible to all. The
canal frontage has been developed, with improved links to the High
Street, including interpretation boards and sign posts to the shops and
the windmill, encouraging people into the village, and the surrounding
area has been re-landscaped making it more useable. The existing play
park in this area has been replaced with a more innovative design,
incorporating adult sized play equipment. The Community Centre garden
has been developed and is now a well used part of the centre. Both sets
of allotments are busy and well maintained.
developed and is now a well used part of the centre. Both sets of allotments are busy and well maintained.
Good links to Surrounding Areas
In the year 2020 good public transport links are in place, and use of
railways has been encouraged by the new Station building at Wolverton
Train Station. We continue to be on several bus routes, which operate
frequently from early in the morning until late into the evening. The
Redways have been extended to come right into the heart of New
Bradwell, providing good cycling routes, and there are good pedestrian
links also. The road to Wolverton has a safe crossing. The river walk
has been developed, with new bridges built and footpath established, so
that it is now possible to walk right from Stony Stratford to Newport
Pagnell along the river. The canal towpaths are wide, level and
attractive, making them accessible to all users and link up to
similarly maintained towpaths in Wolverton and Great Linford and
beyond. The canal front includes moorings and facilities for canal
boats and there is a 'canal bus' that operates between New Bradwell and
Wolverton.
Clean and Safe Environment
New Bradwell has a clean and friendly environment, in the year 2020,
where people feel safe on the streets. There is little litter, graffiti
or dog mess and
traffic fumes are at a minimum. Effective community policing is in
place. Noise and disturbances to others are low level, including from
the tip. The scrapyard has been relocated to a more appropriate
location with better traffic access. The village is well known for it's
commitment to environmentally friendly policies-domestic rubbish has
been reduced by peoples commitment to recycling and cleaner methods of
generating energy for the local area have been researched and
developed.
Good Place to Grow in 2020
The school is a central
part of the village and children grow up feeling part of and
contributing to the local community. Young people also feel included in
the community and feel that they are listened to and their needs are
met, and there is a variety of activities for young people throughout
the village. The St Peters estate now has a play area including
facilities for young children and a multi games area for older
children/teenagers.
Taking Vision Forward
There is a Community Action Group in the village, New Bradwell 2020,
which formed to take forward the ideas that came from the Parish
Appraisal. This group, which is representative of the whole community,
works in close partnership with the Parish Council and other existing
community groups, to support and enable a range of smaller groups
focused on specific tasks. The group will be open to all and will
encourage new people to get involved, and will continue to develop new
ideas and positive ways of working. The vision itself is regularly
reviewed and updated, in consultation with the community, ensuring that
the needs of the local community continue to be at the forefront of any
developments in the area.
