Issues and Options

Major work to repair potholes, better footpaths and cycle routes sited away from roads.

Major work to repair potholes, better footpaths and cycle routes sited away from roads.

More commitment to preserving the rural character of our villages is required.

Rural areas have limited access to health care facilities, more provision should be made, particularly for the elderly with limited transport options.

1. Beds Borough told East-West Rail “During the preparation of its emerging Local Plan the Council recognised that it would be beneficial to allow the newly created and expanded communities to the south of Bedford to mature before introducing further change. This means that growth opportunities in Wootton, Shortstown, Wixams and Stewartby are limited for the duration of the Plan. WPC consider that this shameful moving of the goal posts in order to curry favour with EWR in order to get the EW rail line to come through Bedford is not conducive to an open and honest Local Plan. 2. Beds Borough told EWR “Each site is to the north of Bedford and would be better served by the northern route for EWR through Bedford Midland, as would much of the development potential between Bedford and Cambridge. In the council’s view, therefore there is little or no scope to count further development south of Bedford against the benefits of a southerly route for EWR” Again a blatant touting of Beds Borough being willing to change every aspect of its Local Plan to benefit from an EWR ‘yes’ to a northern route and showing that this entire so-called consultation is nothing but a hollow exercise and waste of time, the decisions have already been taken and the Borough residents views count for nothing!