March update from Adam Zerny

Updated: Oct 12, 2019

In this month's update...

New A428 route announced
CBC throws in its lot with developers
Council reacts to Sandy pollution - but is it enough?
1,500 houses east of Biggleswade approved
Local Plan hit by further delay

Can you help with delivering leaflets?

It's almost that time again! Local elections for Central Beds Council will take place on 2nd May this year. As ever, i'm always on the lookout for people who can deliver leaflets for me, even if only to a few streets. So if you find the newsletters useful and can spare a few minutes, please drop me a line! Thanks

Good news for Tempsford and Abbotsley for new A428 route

Highways England has announced the route for the section of the A428 between Caxton Gibbet and the Black Cat roundabout and it will stay close to the current road. The A1 will also run uninterrupted under the Black Cat but this could have implications for traffic build-up around Sandy. To read more click here.

Central Beds throws in its lots with the developers

Our esteemed local authority has decided to become a housing developer and has set-up its own Housing Development Company in order to sell-off public land for housing. The Council claims this is so it can ensure more 'affordable' housing is built but if that's the case, why not just contract developers to built the right mix? Read more about it here.

CBC reacts to Sandy pollution - but is it enough?

Last May I raised concerns about dangerously high levels of pollution recorded in Sandy near to the A1. CBC has finally put together a report, acknowledging the scale of the issue but I'm not convinced its proposals go far enough. Read more here. CBC's is running a consultation on its proposals here.

1,500 houses east of Biggleswade approved

A development of some 1,500 houses immediately to the east of Biggleswade was approved by CBC last month. Remarkably, only one Biggleswade CBC councillor voiced concerns to Planning officers about this application and Biggleswade Town Council did not oppose it. Read more here.

Local Plan delayed again

The latest delay to CBC's Local Plan means it will not now go to a public inquiry until at least May. Read more about what's happening here.

Wrestlingworth church roof fundraising

In late 2018, most of the lead from St Peters Church in Wrestlingworth, was stolen. The local community are determined to repair the 13th Century building and are raising funds and applying for grants. The sum involved, £62,500, is high, so they have launched an appeal to help get to the roof replaced. Find out more here.

Planning application for houses off Willow Road, Potton

CBC has granted permission for a development of nine houses off Willow Road, Potton. The application can be seen here.

Next anti-social behaviour meeting

A follow-up to the December meeting which covered anti-social behaviour in Potton, will take place on March 26th at 7.30pm, in Potton's Mill Lane Pavilion.

Wrestlingworth tidy-up

The annual Wrestlingworth Parish tidy-up takes place this weekend (2nd and 3rd March) and as many volunteers as possible are required. Today (2nd March) is the main day of activities so if you can assist in the clearance of litter and dead vegetation, head into the village and look for others already taking part.

Still time to respond to East West Rail route consultation

Don't forget you can still comment on the five route options for a rail line between Bedford and Cambridge. All of them are likely to run close to Tempsford, Sutton or Eyeworth. Read the full story and see the maps here. To give feedback and see the technical documents click here.

New speed reduction measures on Sandy Road, Potton?

I mentioned last month CBC is planning a speed hump on Sandy Road, Potton. More from the time here. The Council said it was going to launch a formal consultation on 25th January but it had to delay, and it began on 15th February. It runs until 8th March and you can take part here. Send any comments to traffic.consultation@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Five year supply of housing updated

Every three months, CBC announces its updated '5 year supply of housing'. If the published figure is 5 or more. it means the Council can feel more confident of defending its existing housing delivery against any developers who say more are needed. The latest figures shows the key number is 5.71, down from 5.84 the previous quarter. It doesn't mean CBC will automatically refuse big developments or will definitely fend-off appeals from developers, but it is a good sign.

Drop in public confidence in CBC

The latest residents' survey conducted by CBC last year shows a drop in confidence in the local authority particularly when it comes to the public's opportunity to influence the decision-making process. See more here.

What's on?

Check out www.inpotton,com/events for all the latest. If you want to include your event at inpotton.com just get in touch

Funding

Are you looking for funding for a local project, club or business? There is now new information at: turn2us.org.uk or here on adamzerny.co.uk Another great local source of funding news but also community, volunteering and charity news is CVS Bedford, see more at http://www.cvsbeds.org.uk/

Meetings

Last month I attended Central Beds full Council as well as a parish and town council meetings in Potton, Everton, Wrestingworth, Tempsford and Sutton.Consultations There are currently several Central Beds consultations ongoing: http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/council/consultations/overview.aspx

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