Comment

Representation ID: 9868

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: CPRE Bedfordshire

Natural environment policies
34. Policy NE1 –Environmental Net Gain is welcomed but there remains unclear to us how the delivery of biodiversity net gain will work in practice.
Water & Sewage Supplies
35. Bedford Borough already has very serious water supply issues as recognised by the Environment Agency but nowhere in this Local Plan does BBC consider this issue.
36. It appears from other investigations undertaken by CPRE Bedfordshire, that Anglia Water has plans to alleviate the problem by diverting water from North Lincolnshire, which currently has a surplus, into the rivers of Bedfordshire. A highly undesirable action, as moving water from a river system with one ecosystem to another different one can cause very significant environmental problems. It would appear that no one in North Lincolnshire has been consulted on the matter.
37. CPRE Bedfordshire has serious questions about these matters;
• Which water area will receive water supplies in the very likely event of a water shortage due to Climate Change – North Lincolnshire or Bedfordshire?
• What happens if North Lincolnshire wishes to develop its industrial base?
• Isn’t this the reverse of the Governments much trumpeted “Levelling Up” process?
38. The Sewage System in Bedford Borough is also creaking at the seams and in need of massive investment just to keep the current housing stock properly serviced without polluting our River Great Ouse even further. Local Plan 2040 is silent about how this massive number of new homes will receive an environmentally sustainable sewage system.