Object

Bedford Borough Local Plan 2040 Plan for Submission

Representation ID: 9632

Received: 26/07/2022

Respondent: Miss Tara Malciw

Legally compliant? Yes

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? No

Representation Summary:

The Eastern Region was deemed the highest rising population in the 2021 Census, in all of the UK and within that, Bedford was the highest rising population with an increase of 17.7% against the national average of 6.6%. I feel that the Local Plan should recognise that growth has already occurred at an alarming rate in Bedford, and further development is not required. I understand, as a Police employee, the need of the public and the housing complications, however I feel the demand could be spread more equally into other areas such as Luton which rose only by 10.9% in comparison or better still, outside of Bedfordshire and the Eastern Region.

The plan may be sound legally, but morally and ethically it poses many concerns, ruining villages where elderly people now feel vulnerable, creating roads where children cannot play and increasing crime rates in rural areas at an alarming rate. The crimes have not only increase to a rate 5 times higher, but the crime type has worsened too from petty crimes and theft of a drink from a shop to stealing Audi’s from peoples homes, removing their means of getting to work, and stealing laptops from the elderly in their own homes, removing their only means of communication.