About #saveourtown
What is #saveourtown?
#saveourtown is an independent campaign backed by Lutonians and people who care about Luton, to support plans to regenerate the town with a new gateway project at Junction 10 and a new football stadium at Power Court.
The single main objector to the plans is Capital & Regional, a London and Johannesburg based property company which is trying to block the project to protect its monopoly on retail in Luton.
We want to ensure that the record 11,000+ voices who sent emails and letters to Luton Borough Council, and all the Luton communities who support the plans, are heard and listened to – not drowned out by the Capital & Regional PR machine.
What is #saveourtown trying to achieve?
#saveourtown is an independent volunteer-led campaign group made up of Lutonians. We love Luton, but we know there’s room for progress. There now exists a once-in-life-time chance to support major transformation of our town, the like we have never seen before.
A dual-site regeneration proposal for Power Court, in the heart of the town, and Newlands Park, by junction 10 of the M1 motorway, is the most exciting, ambitious and inspirational development for Luton in our lifetimes. It will change our town, physically, for the better, but it will also help transform perceptions of our town, which has been unfairly stigmatised for generations.
We believe it’s time to put a sense of pride back into our town so, as concerned citizens, we are helping to raise awareness of these plans.
Thousands of you, celebrities, community figures, community groups, well-known Lutonians and businesses already support these proposals, but there is one major objector – Capital and Regional, a London and Johannesburg-based property company that owns The Mall shopping centre – which is trying to block the project and, as they have publicly stated, “kick the plans into the long grass”.
We believe these proposals will benefit The Mall too, so we say it’s time for Capital and Regional to listen to the will of the people and start supporting the plans that will give Luton a bright new future that we all want and deserve.
We are doing this by giving a voice to Lutonians through positive messages, community engagement events and multi-media campaigns about our town. We want to reach and hear from as many Lutonians and local people as possible because your voice matters most.
Now you’ve discovered our website you can find out more about the work that we are doing. You can find out about all the people and businesses that support our campaign. You can also follow us on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube – and help amplify a positive message about Luton by sharing our posts and videos.
You can sign up to receive our newsletter and get all the latest #saveourtown news and information straight to your inbox.
But, most importantly, you can tell everyone, from your friends, family neighbours, co-workers and anyone you come into contact with.
Together we are stronger. Together we can #saveourtown.
Why back the proposals?
The development proposals for Power Court and Newlands Park offer Luton a bright new future.
They will:
- Create 10,000 new jobs and opportunities within Luton
- Boost the local economy by more than £250million each and every year
- Revitalise and regenerate a town centre that has seen more than a decade of stagnation
- Help put a sense of pride back into the town and its people
- Open up land at Kenilworth Road for much-needed community use in the Bury Park area
- Be the catalyst for further development and regeneration
- It won't be the end of the story because it will help create a new legacy for Luton
Power Court, in the centre of Luton, will be transformed from a derelict and contaminated eyesore, to a pleasant and attractive environment, delivering new and exciting facilities to enhance people's lives every day and evening of the year.
It will include:
- A 21st century, 17,500-seater football stadium for Luton Town Football Club
- An 1,800-capacity live music venue (the biggest in Beds, Herts and Bucks)
- New and enhanced public piazza meeting space with the River Lea (currently hidden underground) brought to the fore, providing an embankment from which the public can enjoy a view over Luton's only Grade 1 listed building - St Mary's Church
- Bars and restaurants
- A small niche cinema
- A medium sized hotel and banqueting venue
- Creche / play area
- Lifestyle retail units
- Supermarket
- 100 car parking spaces
- Beneficial public transport links in close proximity
Learn more about this proposed development at: http://2020developments.co.uk/powercourt/index.php
Newlands Park is a 40-acre site at junction 10 of the M1 motorway. It will enhance perceptions of Luton, bring in new business, complement the town centre and will provide:
- An impressive and iconic new gateway to Luton to be proud of
- An eye-catching environmentally friendly 'green roof' with walking spaces where people can gather and use the facilities on offer, such as rooftop cafes
- Approximately 500,000 sq ft of high-spec offices, forming a landmark design
- An innovative leisure hub, housed in an iconic 'crystal' design with a high-end cinema and a wide range of active leisure attractions
- Aspirational, high-end retail to complement the existing town centre retail in Luton
Learn more about this proposed development at: http://2020developments.co.uk/newlandspark/index.php
However, if these proposals for Power Court and Newlands Park do not go ahead, Luton will be left with:
- Un-utilised land by the M1, as the gateway to the town
- An eyesore at Power Court in the centre of the town, which enhances perceptions of Luton as a town in decline
- A crumbling Kenilworth Road football stadium on a site in one of the most deprived wards in the country, which could be used for desperately needed housing and other community uses
- A dying night-time economy in the fourth largest town in England, where the town centre is effectively empty by 6pm every evening when The Mall shopping centre shuts its doors
- A missed opportunity to boost the economy of the local area and create huge numbers of new jobs, that would provide the people of Luton and their children with a bright new future
Would you like to help with the campaign?
We have set up a JustGiving crowdfunding page to help generate funds for our campaign. If you are able, we'd be eternally grateful for your donation, no matter how big or small.
Here's what you've told us
While we believe Luton will be transformed by Power Court and Newlands Park, don’t just take our word for it.
People are having their say as part of our Change.org petition urging Capital & Regional, owners of The Mall shopping centre, to stop blocking a bright new future for Luton. Sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/capital-regional-stop-blocking-a-bright-new-future-for-luton
This is a chance to add to the original UK planning record of 11,000 people who wrote to Luton Borough Council in 2016, supporting the plans for Power Court and Newlands Park. The key difference now is the opportunity to tell the major objector why they need to change their stance and listen to what the people of the town want and need.
Also, all your responses (be polite) will be sent direct to the email inboxes of the Capital and Regional Chief Executive and Chairman.
Responses such as these...
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it, or it's been deleted.saveourtownluton
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Download our poster
Show your support by downloading our #saveourtown leaflet and poster and putting it up in your window. Don't forget to send us a photo!
Why are we raising money?
#saveourtown is a volunteer-led campaign group and, while we have a popular and ever-growing social media presence, we are aiming to reach all members of our community and not everyone is on social media, or online. To produce physical campaign materials and spread the message through community events, this costs money.
So, your generous donations, no matter how big or small, have and will be used to fund the creation and maintenance of promotion activity, purchase materials and prepare advertising campaigns to help spread the word about #saveourtown, and the proposals we support.
For example, your donations have helped pay for this website and for things like banners, that have been paraded on the pitch at Kenilworth Road, plus 80,000 posters and leaflets that were sent to Luton homes, so residents could learn about the once-in-a-lifetime chance to transform their town.
This also provided people with a chance to show their support by putting the posters in their windows to further spread the word. Didn’t get one? Don’t worry you can download the poster here for FREE.
Your donations have made that possible and so much more. Every penny raised will be accounted for and our accounts will be professionally verified annually. And when we all get the victory of progress for Luton, as a community campaign, any funds left when our work is complete will be donated to a Luton charity.
