Luton Council Wigmore Park sale bid is 'bunkum' say opposition

They’ve made it difficult for people to believe them' say Lib Dems
Wigmore Park is part of the Luton London Airport's expansion plansWigmore Park is part of the Luton London Airport's expansion plans
Wigmore Park is part of the Luton London Airport's expansion plans

Labour Luton borough councillors presented “a deliberately misleading case in their argument for selling Wigmore Valley Park to the local authority’s airport company”, according to the Liberal Democrat opposition group.

The council’s executive “said the lease arrangement is separate from any development proposals which may come forward”, said leader of the Liberal Democrat group and Barnfield councillor David Franks in a statement.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“They said there are no changes in the current boundaries of the park in the lease agreement.

“The simple truth is that the lease deal and the proposed development aren’t just related, they are two essential parts of the same plan.

“They can’t do the one without doing the other, so to describe the language used as disingenuous would probably be too polite.

“It might have been possible to respect their position if they’d not chosen to deliberately distort essential facts, a clear attempt to confuse the 101 local individuals and organisations who objected to the sale.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“They’ve made it difficult for people to believe them and they’ve not even succeeded in the objective. The objectors are smart enough to see that the argument is total bunkum.”

The borough council opted to lease Wigmore Valley Park to Luton Rising at an executive meeting on Wednesday. (Feb 9th)

“The grant of a long-term lease of the park will be one of a number of steps Luton Rising will be taking towards developing part of the site for commercial purposes,” said a report to the committee.

“And it will meet meet the airport company’s long-term objective of securing a development consent order (DCO) to expand and improve the airport.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The park has been nominated as an asset of community value (ACV) and two statutory procedures have to be followed by the council. One relates to the ACV and the other to the fact this is public open space.

“These procedures cannot be progressed simultaneously,” explained the report. “Any representations received as a result of the open space notice must be considered before instigating the ACV disposal regime.”

Wigmore Valley Park was nominated in 2019 as an ACV by the parish councils of Offley and Kings Walden.

“This nomination was accepted and registered, and means LBC is required to give notice to those nominee councils of its intention to grant a long lease,” added the report.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Those nominees can then trigger a moratorium period of six months before our proceeding with the grant of the lease.

“During this time, they and any other potential bidders are entitled to submit competing offers to LBC to acquire the land.

“At expiry of this period, all offers received would be reported to the executive before a final decision is made on the grant of a lease to Luton Rising.

“But there’s no obligation on the council to dispose of the land to a third party community group or parish council, or to proceed to lease the land.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Conservative Hitchin and Harpenden MP Bim Afolami sent a letter of objection over the lease plan.

“Wigmore Valley Park is a much beloved green space not only enjoyed by Luton residents but those from the rural communities surrounding it, who live within my constituency,” he said.

“LBC’s proposal to dispose of this open space to facilitate the expansion of London Luton Airport, is unjustifiable and not in character for a civic institution obliged to preserve precious green spaces.

“I believe the council should reflect on how destroying green spaces and habitats in order to support the expansion of airport operations actually assists in reaching this target.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A council spokesman said: “Executive has agreed to continue with the intended disposal of Wigmore Valley Park.

“All offers received during the six-month moratorium will be reported back to executive before a final decision is made on the grant of a lease.

“It’s important to note that Luton Rising has requested a lease in order to fulfil a Section 106 obligation relating to the New Century Park planning permission, and also that disposal itself will not lead to loss of the park.

“Luton Rising has held the park under licence for several years and is seeking a long-term lease to enable delivery of its consented outline planning application for New Century Park, a mixed-use development which would bring forward more than 3,000 new jobs in the town.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The airport company is committed to bringing forward significant improvements to the facilities and access to the park, as well as making it at least ten per cent bigger and pursuing opportunities for a community trust to manage it.”