Some local residents have been in touch with us regarding the ongoing problem of the overgrown bushes in Neale Way.   The County Council have advised that:

1. A letter has been written to the farmer concerned requesting that the bushes be cut back.
2. This will be followed up by another inspection.
3. If the farmer does not comply, he will be further advised of an expected completion date.
4. If the work is not done as expected, County Highways will carry out the work and charge him.

You also need to know that the Parish Council have been working very hard to investigate how they can best address this issue. This may include taking on the ownership of the bushes and being responsible for their maintenance programme. The Parish Council’s hard work is not helped by the farmer disputing that he is responsible for the bushes and the nearby ditch. I will keep you up to date with any further news as soon as I can.

Proposed housing style - The proposed housing styles are totally out of character with the houses in the Stewartby “Model Village”. Stewartby houses need to keep their distinct character to help Stewartby maintain its distinct identity. New development should respond to its context and create or reinforce local distinctiveness. This application does none of those.

Number of houses - The application proposes 1,200 additional homes in Stewartby. This is on top of the over 600 already approved in Outline pending a Section 106 agreement for the “New Stewartby” development and the potential 15,000 in the Eco Town application. This application on its own would treble the size of the existing village. Stewartby “Model Village” has a long history with a distinct identity that should be retained as much as is possible.

English Heritage listing - The four chimneys and the 10 kilns were listed as sites of heritage importance by English Heritage in Feb 08. The applications seek to ignore the listings by demolishing all the chimneys and kilns. They are representative of a history of brick-making in the Marston Vale and at least one chimney and other related properties should be preserved to recognise that history.The site is large enough not to be commercially prejudiced by the retention of a kiln and chimney.

Railway line - The provision within the application for safe crossings for the potentially busy railway line is minimal at best. The principle of residential use extending across the railway line is highly questionable.

Road infrastructure - The access may well be from Green Lane and/or Broadmead Road. Both these roads are typical of the area in that they are only just wide enough in a majority of their lengths for 2 vehicles to pass each other. They are also poorly maintained. It is difficult to imagine either or both coping with the projected tripling of traffic along them. 

Alleged Chimney movements and deteriation - There are many local residents in Wootton, Stewartby and Kempston who have past employment connections with the Stewartby brickworks. I have anecdotal evidence from these residents that the chimney with “Stewartby” written on it was the chimney used for the boiler until about 20 years ago. It has never had a brick fire up it. There is no apparent movement from that chimney despite it not being used fore 20 years. The need to demolish the chimneys even on health and safety grounds is therefore not proven.

Change of use of land from employment to residential - The applications do not give sufficient reasons to approve the change of use of land from employment to residential. The justification for the amount of retained employment land has not been made.It is also difficult to believe in today’s housebuilding recession that approx 300 houses next to a landfill site would sell.

Gypsy and traveller site provision - The original proposals in Oct 07 certainly contained suggestions for a 15 pitch traveller site. There is anecdotal evidence that this suggestion did not form any part of the limited consultation done with local residents some time ago. Stewartby already has a clean and well maintained gypsy site for approx 15 permanent pitches. An additional site within the village of Stewartby therefore would be out of proportion to the pitch requirements of the immediate locality.

Potters Cross residents have been left fuming after the County Council’s road contractor left road maintenance works unfinished after striking two water mains, one of which continued to spew out water over a week after being burst.  The works on Potters Cross remain incomplete despite the legal notice for the works stating that they would be finished by July 7^th.  The legal notice for the works also stated that the entire road would be resurfaced, when in fact just a few metres have been repaired. 

The long overdue resurfacing of Potters Cross has become an absolute farce.  It beggars belief that with no improvement works having been done on the road for over thirty years, nobody thought to check if there were any obstructions such as water mains.  For one of the burst mains to then be left unrepaired for over a week is utterly inexcusable.

As the different parties squabble over who should take responsibility for mistakes, the interests of local residents seem to be the very last consideration.

For residents to be told by the County Council that the entire paved road would be resurfaced, only to find that the contractors are working on just a short stretch is simply unacceptable.

Details of the proposed post office closures have been announced. This will be followed by a six week period of consultation with the local community.

The loss of the post office will hit Stewartby hard. It is a vital asset for many local people and closing it will cause many difficulties for older people and others with mobility problems, in particular.

Despite the decision of Labour MP’s to help the Government press ahead with closures, Liberal Democrats are continuing to fight the demolition of the post office network.

Our plan would give a real investment of £2 billion in the post office, would increase the services offered at local post office branches and improve the network so that every community that needs a post office gets one.

We are the only party with a fully-funded plan to save the post office, give it a long-term future and not just manage its decline.

Our plan would see:
· £2 billion invested in post office network;
· New branches opening where needed;
· Government services continuing to be available at the Post Office;
· The Post Office freed from Royal Mail restrictions to let it develop new business;
· A new legal requirement for the Government to maintain the local Post Office network.

We will keep you posted

Despite being at business meetings in Birmingham and Milton Keynes on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, I was able to find out from the Borough Legal Team that the County Council Legal Team are “on the case”.

They are hopeful that the travellers can be moved on within the the next week.

I have delivered a leaflet to about 2/3rds of Stewartby outling the Borough policy and what we as Cllrs can do to help. Stewartby Way and the closes off, Kitchener Place and Russet Court all got it. Time and energy prevented me from delivering the whole of Stewartby.

Local residents have reported to me the travellers on Green Lane Stewartby. 

I have reported this to the relevant Borough Solicitor and let the current Chair of the Parish Council know I have done so. 

I will provide more updates as and when I have more information

Just seven months after the historic chimneys at the Stewartby Brickworks site were given listed building status, Landowner Hanson is seeking to demolish them as part of plans for a new 1200-home development.   A planning application has been submitted to Bedford Borough Council for the proposed development, which would more than triple the size of Stewartby village and involve the demolition of the four remaining Grade II listed chimneys.  I believe the chimneys must be preserved as a heritage site of international importance. These are the last of over 100 chimneys in the Marston Vale, and have only recently been awarded the formal status they deserve as listed buildings.  A museum and heritage centre should also be included as part of any new development. This has been done by other brick-making companies in other parts of the world, so it should know that there is no need to consign history to the dustbin in the rush to maximise land values.We have also attacked the details of the planned new development, which propose tall, dense housing out of keeping with the distinctive character of Stewartby.  They would also see the village more than triple in size.  My friend Cllr Judith Cunningham has said: “The proposed development is far too large, and would swamp the existing village.  The plans for the housing must also be re-drawn to reflect the special character and style of Stewartby.”  Judith has also criticised the proposed location for some of the new housing: “It is absurd to build houses on the west side of the railway line, cut off from the rest of the village, alongside the landfill site.” 

NOTES 

·         Hanson Building Products has submitted a planning application to Bedford Borough Council for the demolition of all buildings and structures within the Stewartby Brickworks site, including the remaining four grade II listed chimneys and two grade II listed brick kilns.  An application has been submitted alongside this for the construction of a new development on the site including 1200 homes.

·         A copy of the Government’s decision to give the chimneys and the kilns listed building status, which includes a brief history of the site, can be read here: http://www.bedford.gov.uk/GetResource.aspx?file=2%20kilns%204%20chimneys%20at%20Stewartby%20Brickworks%20Stewartby.pdf ·         On April 16th,  Bedford Borough Council approved its Core Strategy and Rural Issues Plan, which sets the framework for development in the Borough until 2021.  This document states that 610 new homes, only just over half the number proposed by Hanson for the brickworks site, are to be built in Stewartby during this period at a site already identified.

Potters Cross residents will remember my letter of 13^th June 2008 regarding the resurfacing works in Potters Cross. Several local residents have contacted me seeking re-assurance that the resurfacing is for the whole of the tarmaced road. I did confirm that according to the correspondence I had received from the County Council, it is for the whole of the tarmaced road. I have today contacted the County Council to seek final written confirmation that the whole tarmaced road is being resurfaced. In the meantime, I would very much appreciate your feedback on the following issues:a)     Do you think the workmen have been doing everything they can to ensure reasonable access for you?b)     What do you think of the standard of the surface laid?c)     Does it look as though the whole length of the tarmaced road is to be re-surfaced?I would like the feedback as I want to ensure the County Council contractors do the agreed work and to a standard they are being paid for. If necessary, I will lobby the County Council to improve this. 

Wavell Close residents will remember my letter to them of 8^th May 2008 regarding the request to the County Council by the Parish Council, local residents and the Liberal Democrat FOCUS Team to “tidy up” the Wavell Close green. Local residents had told us and the Parish Council that the layout of the green was too big for the Close. Local residents have been in contact with us to advise that the requested scheme has not been implemented by the County Council. Indeed what has been implemented not only makes the square look odd, but it does not meet the purposes of why the work was done.  I have today contacted the County Council to ask why the agreed scheme has not been implemented and will let you know their reply as soon as I can. I will of course be pressing the County to then implement the agreed scheme. 

Dear Sir/Madam (DCLG)

As one of the Bedford Borough Councillors for the Borough Ward of Wootton and following receipt of a letter from our Head of Planning, I wish to formally object to the Eco-town proposals of New Marston and Marston Vale.

I support the basic principles of new housing that responds to climate change, a sustainable future and an increased housing supply. However, I believe the Eco-town proposals of New Marston and Marston Vale are flawed for the following reasons:

a) They will mean effectively no green fields in a direct line from Junction 13 of the M1 to the Marsh Leys roundabout near Kempston.

b) Existing development plans in place such as Stewartby 2000 will, together with these proposals, mean that the Marston Vale will have almost 3 times the existing expected development in the current Growth Area. Thus these proposals will far exceed existing projected demand.

c) Even once the A421 is dualled, the A421 and the B530 will really struggle to cope with the likely increased traffic from the Eco-towns.

d) The Eco-town proposals of New Marston and Marston Vale merge existing, settled communities into one great mass of housing.

In summary, whilst the Eco-town proposals of New Marston and Marston Vale meet the increased housing supply principle, they are a direct opposite to the other two principles.

I look forward to further correspondence on this matter.