My objection to the 1800 houses development proposed is that lying within the parish of Wilstead as it does, the plan will have a devastating effect on the Village of Wilstead. In fact Wilstead will no longer be a Village. Bedford Borough should be protecting its villages to preserve diverse living environments, and the character of the borough. Being in the Wilstead parish as it is, a village extension effectively trebling the size of the village. A village that is mis designated as a Key Service centre as it has few facilities. No doctor, no dentist, no small supermarket. It has a small village primary school and a small general store/post office which is the right size for the village population as it stands. Wilstead is reliant on Bedford for services. The bus service is inadequate as it is, and its unreliability makes it unusable for attending appointments in Bedford. With the trebling of the size of the village the resulting traffic through the village will cause serious congestion pollution both fumes and noise on roads which were never built, or can safely be adapted, to meet the increase in demand.

The propose site is important for wildlife, many species depend on it, and it is also on valuable arable farm land. The loss of this will harm the borough’s policy of protecting bio-diversity within the borough. Much of it is designated as a flood risk area and the whole, along with much of the Wilstead parish, an important water retention area helping to ease the risk of flooding in Bedford itself.