Support

Representation ID: 5812

Received: 07/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Susan Randell

OPTION 2C would be my choice if there has to be development on the A421 corridor.

I have lived in the village of Wootton since 1975. My children were born here and attended local schools. In the last ten years Wootton has seen development like no other village. The village has doubled in size with an excess of 1200 houses being built but the infrastructure has not grown in proportion.

Promised doctor’s surgery never materialized and until Covid struck, waiting times for appointments was up to 4 weeks.

Schools are full to capacity with the threat of bussing 4-year-old children across the borough to schools that may have places. The new build lower school was at capacity by the time it was opened and now has to have extensive repair work done to it to make it fit for purpose.

Planning Applications for more houses keep being applied for, objections from residents are ignored and the applications get passed. A recent one for 85 houses by the upper school got rejected on the grounds the road was too narrow to take the extra traffic and it was a danger to school children walking to and from school. The developers refused to accept the rejection and have now taken this to the secretary of state in a bid to get it passed.

Warehouses have been built on the edge of the village running alongside the A421 bypass, these were never in the original plans for development and have brought added problems with LGV’s mis reading signs and driving through the village. New signage has been introduced now but still many drivers miss these and come through the village. You should see a 40 ton lorry trying to turn round on a mini roundabout because they realize they have come the wrong way to access the warehouses. We now have the added delight of a hotel and pub promised alongside these monstrosities while local run pubs in the village are struggling to make a living and a Premier Inn sits about three miles up the road from Wootton.

Our green spaces around Wootton are gradually being concreted over at a time when only weeks ago Mayor Dave was celebrating all the green spaces to be had in Bedford Town. Not so many years ago this area was designated for a new community forest but most probably the trees planted then have been buried under said warehouses. Please leave what few green spaces we have left alone for us to enjoy, there are other areas that may benefit from building but no more in Wootton.