Issues and Options

It is very worrying that with accelerating global warming and epidemics/pandemics we still even consider building on (and concreting over) Greenfield areas. It is easily forgotten that we have to import at least 40% of our food. We remember that we have been told by our government that they consider food production a high priority – given this, we are particularly concerned as, locally, we have a large content of high-grade agricultural land. We are seeing increased extreme swings in our weather with flooding and droughts becoming more regular. It is reported that this year’s cereal and grass crops returned around half of last year’s. Until earlier this year we continued to rapidly increase the pollution that we are creating. Sadly, we can’t even claim that the current reduction in pollution has been the result of our planning, but is due mainly to an unexpected virus totally out of our control. It would appear that our government has not yet woken up to these facts and is doing its best to return us to our polluting old ways whatever the cost. Bedfordshire is a rural county, but how much consideration is given to this? Legally we have to comply with the government building requirements, whether or not we agree with them, whilst maintaining as closely as possible our beautiful rural environment. We must give due consideration to those who wish to live in towns, those who require affordable housing and those who prefer to live in and maintain the existing countryside. All of BBC’s published options may produce the numbers of houses legally required. However little if any consideration is given to the importance of maintaining productive farm land and to the importance of the rural environment of the county of Bedfordshire in terms of wildlife, vegetation and history.

Brown – Urban based growth , Yellow – A421 based growth , Pink – Rail growth , Orange – East-West rail northern station growth , Grey– Dispersed growth , Red – New settlement based growth

• Brown – urban based growth alone leaves rural areas less disrupted provided that growth is kept to ‘brownfield sites’, but is probably impractical for the numbers required within Beds Borough. • Yellow- A421 based growth contradicts most of the above issues particularly in taking large areas of productive food producing land and countryside. • Pink – rail growth has the same negative issues as Yellow. • Orange – Eastwest Rail northern station would again produce the same problems as yellow and has been thrown out as impractical in the past. • Grey - dispersed growth could be possible provided that careful consideration is given to avoiding the issues related above. We do know that a significant area of brownfield and waste land is available around the town and some villages. • Red - new settlement-based growth ignores all of the above issues. Hence again has the same downsides as Yellow devouring large areas of good farmland and blighting beautiful rural areas. The so-called new garden villages (small towns) are just excuses for more urban sprawl over various areas of countryside.