Rugby is becoming like a Polo – the town with a hole in the middle

In March the chancellor, George Osborne, announced plans for the first of a new wave of "garden cities" at Ebbsfleet in Kent. Small for a city, with "only" 15,000 new houses, Ebbsfleet will be based around a major railway station on the Channel Tunnel route. The development will consist of a series of "villages" each with new schools and medical centres. Fast buses running on "bus-only" track will link the villages with the centre. In other words the development is being planned with education, health and transport services all being provided at the same time.

Meanwhile back in Rugby even the local conservatives admit that local government minister, Eric Pickles (Con, Brentwood & Ongar), is pressing us to accept development on a similar scale - over ten thousand houses - but without the corresponding investment.

The last Labour government closed maternity and casualty services at St Cross Hospital and sold-off our crown post office. (Even the coalition government is not without fault as the Secretary of State for Justice, Ken Clarke (Con, Rushcliffe), closed our magistrates court). Meanwhile major retailers like Marks and Spencer are planning to abandon Rugby Town Centre. All this threatens Rugby becoming like a polo - a band of housing surrounding an empty central zone.

Even the conservatives do not believe that you can build new towns without providing appropriate services nor without giving the new community a heart. Yet they appear to believe you can add a new town's worth of houses to Rugby whilst taking away the facilities Rugby needs.

In agreeing to housing development on the Radio Masts site Rugby has already agreed to more than its fair share of new housing for the coming decade. Probably most residents would like the development to stop there. If the government is serious about Rugby taking on more than its fair share of the burden then it needs to provide substantial investment for our town. New wards need to be opened at St Cross, starting with proper maternity facilities. The shortfall of a thousand places in our secondary schools needs to be addressed. The town's transport needs should be addressed and the right incentives provided to keep (and attract) key retailers in our town centre. If the chancellor can find the money for Ebbsfleet it is only fair that he find the money for Rugby.

This is the seventh article in our series on the future of Rugby Town Centre.

Links

You can see the type of education, health and transport facilities being provided at the chancellor's "garden city" in Ebbsfleet at http://ebbsfleetgardencity.org .

You can read of local conservatives' admission that they are being pressed by Eric Pickles to take more housing at http://rugbylibdems.org.uk/en/article/2014/945569/dunchurch-parish-council-meeting-condemns-dun-cow-junction-plans.

You can read how local councillors and our MP are fighting Marks and Spencers' plan to abandon Rugby at http://rugbylibdems.org.uk/en/article/2014/950076/roodhouse-backs-m-s-simply-food-store-in-rugby-town-centre .

You can read how one local entrepreneur fears Rugby becoming a ghost town at http://rugbylibdems.org.uk/cy/article/2014/952832/would-you-bid-twice-the-price-for-a-two-legged-stool .