Cranbrook: a town without a centre > or just another massive housing estate?

An Exeter student wrote last month that "rather than building houses, developers must build communities":
Futures Forum: A solution to our housing problems: build communities

One example of a town with lots of houses but little sense of community would be Cranbrook:
Futures Forum: Pseudo-public space 
Futures Forum: "Regeneration and economic development" in East Devon >>> looking beyond the conventional, the ideological and the heavyhanded 
Futures Forum: Cranbrook: welcome to dismaland

It lost its sense of purpose a couple of years ago:
Futures Forum: Cranbrook: an 'eco-town' no more

But it hasn't gained a town centre since:
Futures Forum: The Cranbrook project >>> where's the town centre >>> the infrastructure >>>the 'growth point'?

But, then, it's just a massive housing estate after all:
Futures Forum: Cranbrook: What's the difference between a housing estate and an eco newtown?

Here is East Devon's MP Sir Hugo Swire talking about Cranbrook and how big developers are 'gaming the system' - building big blocks rather than in the local vernacular.

He would also like to know how we can encourage local builders; and how Neighbourhood Plans can be taken more seriously when development is considered.

And ... where the town centre is:



Westminster Hall: Neighbourhood and Town Planning - 30.1.18 - YouTube

The East Devon Watch blog comments:

SWIRE SAYS DEVELOPERS “GAMED” CRANBROOK TO ITS DETRIMENT AND NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANS AREN’T WORKING!

13 FEB 2018

He says developers refused to create a town centre because there weren’t enough people living there! He says the council is now having to step in to rectify this! Owl thinks that perhaps there are not enough people living there (question: how many is enough?) because there is no town centre!

Swire says developers “gamed” Cranbrook to its detriment and Neighbourhood Plans aren’t working! | East Devon Watch

It's happening everywhere, though:
Welcome to Toytown: what life is like in new-build Britain | Society | The Guardian 
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