Parish Appraisal and Vision of New Bradwell 2020
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.
Click here for the New Bradwell Community Action Group