Wixams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wixams |
|
|---|---|
 Lakeview Village Hall |
|
 Wixams
|
|
| Population | 4,669 |
| OS grid reference | TL046443 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BEDFORD |
| Postcode district | MK42 |
| Dialling code | 01234 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament |
|
Wixams is a new town and civil parish (a local government area) in Bedfordshire, England. It has been under construction since 2007. Wixams is planned to become the third largest place in the Borough of Bedford. It will be bigger than most new towns built in England after World War II.
Part of Wixams is also in Central Bedfordshire. In 2011, the population of the new town was counted as part of the Wilstead civil parish.
Contents
History of Wixams
The land where Wixams is being built is about 750 acres (3 square kilometers). It's a brownfield site, which means it was used for industry before. This site, just south of Bedford, was once called the Elstow Storage Depot. During World War II, it was known as ROF Elstow.
The early plans for the area called it Elstow Garden Villages. The name 'Wixams' comes from Wixamtree, an old local area. It is located near the ancient area of Redbournestoke.
Wixams is designed to have four "villages," each with its own small center. These villages will be built around a main town center. The plan is to build 4,500 homes. These homes will be for people who work in Bedford, Milton Keynes, and London. There are also plans to create jobs within Wixams itself.
What was planned for Wixams?
Here are some of the things that were planned to be built in Wixams:
- Over a million square feet of office space.
- Three schools for younger children (ages 5–9).
- Two schools for middle-aged children (9–13).
- One school for older students (13–18).
- A health center for basic medical care.
- A town park.
- Various shops.
- A library.
- A sports hall.
- Over 300 acres (1.2 square kilometers) of parkland and open spaces. This includes lakes and wetlands. These areas are leftover from when minerals were dug up from the ground.
- A large waste incinerator (a place to burn trash).
L&Q Estates is the main company developing all of Wixams. The first area to be built is called Lakeview (also known as Village One). Several companies built homes in Lakeview, including Bloor Homes and Taylor Wimpey.
The first people moved into Lakeview in early 2009. However, building work was slower than expected. This was due to a difficult economic time in the late 2000s. In August 2009, the first affordable homes were ready for residents.
The first school in Wixams, Lakeview Lower School, opened in September 2009. It is now called 'Lakeview School' and is a primary school (for younger children). This change happened because the local council changed its school system.
In 2010, the Wixams Community Group was started by residents. From 2011 to 2015, Reverend Tim Jackson was the first church minister. He represented several Christian groups. There is no church building in Wixams yet, but church activities still happen.
Village Two, called Willow Grove, is currently being built. Homes there are by Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes. Village Four, Harrowden Green, is also being developed. Village Three is planned to have the town center and a train link to Bedford and London.
In January 2012, Sophie, Countess of Wessex visited Wixams. She went to Lakeview Lower School. She met local leaders, including the Mayor of Bedford Borough.
By the end of 2012, over 600 homes were lived in at Lakeview. A village hall was built in Lakeview and opened in April 2013. Local community members manage this hall.
In April 2018, plans were announced to create 1,400 new jobs in Wixams. Permission was given for B&M and Aldi to build large distribution centers. These centers were later built north of the Wilstead Industrial Park.
A special retirement village for people over 55 opened in Wixams in 2019. It is next to Lakeview.
How Wixams is Governed
The first part of Wixams, Lakeview, used to be part of the Wilshamstead civil parish. Residents there could vote in elections for the Wilshamstead Parish Council. Wilshamstead is the parish name for the village of Wilstead.
In April 2015, Wixams became its own civil parish. The first elections for the Wixams Parish Council happened on May 7th, 2015. Parts of Wixams that are not yet built are currently in the Stewartby and Houghton Conquest civil parishes.
Wixams is part of the Mid Bedfordshire constituency. This means it has a representative in the House of Commons (part of the UK Parliament). Since 2023, the person representing Wixams is Alistair Strathern from the Labour Party.
Transport in Wixams
Wixams is next to the A6 main road. Part of this road was moved in 2007-2008 to make room for the new town.
A new train station, Wixams railway station, was planned for Wixams. It would be on the Midland Main Line between Bedford railway station and Flitwick railway station. The station was first planned to open by 2015. However, there have been problems with getting enough money for the project. This has caused delays.
Currently, two main bus routes serve Wixams.
- The first is service number 44, run by Grant Palmer. It goes from Bedford town center through Wixams. It also serves Wilstead, Clophill, Ampthill, and Flitwick every hour.
- The second is service number 81, run by Stagecoach East. It goes from Bedford town center through Wixams to Wilstead, Clophill, Silsoe, Barton-le-Clay, and to Luton every hour.
There are no public footpaths or bridleways (paths for horses) that lead from Wixams into the surrounding countryside. This means Wixams is not connected to the wider network of countryside paths.
Education in Wixams
Wixams has two primary schools and one secondary school.
The first primary school, Lakeview School, opened in September 2009. The company Mouchel designed the school. Morgan Sindall built the building. When it first opened, the school had only seven students.
In January 2012, Sophie, Countess of Wessex visited Lakeview School and unveiled a special plaque.
Two new schools opened in Wixams in September 2017. One was the town's first secondary school, Wixams Academy. The other was a new primary school next to the secondary school, called Wixams Tree Primary.
Images for kids
-
Lakeview Village Hall
See also
In Spanish: Wixams para niños
