MP's Visit Highlights Housing Success And Work To Do

2.21.08pm GMT Tue 6th Feb 2007

At Marcham

Lib Dem front-bench Housing Spokesman Dan Rogerson MP visited the Vale of White Horse last week to see some local achievements and to speak with local campaigners. During his visit he was shown the new Limborough Road retail development in the heart of Wantage and affordable housing being built in Marcham. Mr Rogerson also met with residents at Ladycroft Mobile Home Park in Blewbury to hear of their concerns about local changes to their park.

Mr Rogerson began his visit at the new Limborough Road site in Wantage, where he met with managers from the new Sainsbury's store to hear about their progress. The new town centre superstore and car park will open this week and it is expected to deliver a boost to the town centre, providing 300 extra parking spaces. The development is intended to boost the town centre vitality of Wantage as well as to offer a better choice for shopping to residents. The new development has taken over two decades to deliver and the Vale has been central to negotiations with landowners to finally secure a deal.

At Limborough Road development

Cllr Jim Moley said: "I am delighted the Vale was so determined to see this extremely vital project through to completion, despite endless challenges from land ownership, objections and pollution. It was very exciting to explain the importance of this new project to Town Centre Vitality to Mr Rogerson and to introduce him to Sainsbury's management team. We are very grateful to the Sainsbury's team for briefing him on their work on this exciting new site"

After his visit to Wantage, Dan Rogerson MP went to Marcham to meet with Vale Councillors Jane Hanna and Mary de Vere. Cllr de Vere is responsible for affordable housing on the Vale and Cllr Hanna is the local member for Marcham. Marcham is home to two small developments totalling about 20 properties which have been built over several years with the support of local landowners and the parish council. Mr Rogerson was able to see the high quality existing houses which were already occupied, as well as the building site where a series of new homes is currently going up.

Cllr de Vere said: "Not surprisingly, we talk a lot about our achievement in delivering over 1500 affordable homes in the Vale since 1995 but it makes the work worthwhile when you can see the physical bricks and mortar achievement of real homes for real people. It's nice to have someone visiting from Westminster who can see what an effective Council can achieve and Dan Rogerson was very complimentary of our efforts. What we do in the Vale is not 'rocket science' but it does represent very good practice and I hope Mr Rogerson can communicate our success as widely as possible to encourage other Councils to make the same investment in their communities."

Finally Mr Rogerson was shown around the Ladycroft Mobile Home Park in Blewbury by Cllrs Richard Farrell and Richard Webber. Mr Rogerson was able to meet with residents to hear of their concerns for the future of the park, which has been home to some of them for many years.

Cllr Richard Farrell said: "I am most grateful to Dan Rogerson for having taken the time to see for himself the conditions that Ladycroft residents are having to endure. The village of Blewbury and Ladycroft residents are uniting in a struggle to achieve justice for Ladycroft and Dan's visit is a sign that our fight has not gone unnoticed.."