Not pretty

This is not pretty reading.

As previously described, Central Beds Executive has supported a development brief for the 135-home Central Motors site at Flitt Leys Close with a school. There is to be action taken, immediately, to tackle parking issues in the cul de sac and the brief pledges an effort to find alternative pedestrian routes to the school so that children can walk there.  The brief also raises the possibility of realigning the school on the proposed site.

Butt the decision making process has been extraordinary. In his report to last night’s parish council Central Beds Councillor Alan Bastable described how he had been invited to a recent meeting, only on arrival at council headquarters at Chicksands. He said there was no prior notice of the meeting and Cllr Sue Clark had not been invited. At this meeting he had learned that if Central Motors did not include a school, CBC would have to find £2 million for a site elsewhere. This had been known for months by some officers and members but it had never come up at previous meetings.

He had been told that a “no-school option” was included in the previous overview and scrutiny committee agenda even though the council knew it was not feasible.

“For six months someone has known that option 2 (no school) was not an option.”

Alan said even the Executive was not fully informed and he asked: “Who runs this council?”

Well, who indeed? It’s a legitimate question and a profoundly worrying one.  It appears that this was being driven through regardless of the adverse factors.  It is worse than the Old Mid Beds plan to facilitate school expansion through a field in Home Farm. I wonder did Persimmon know that option 2 wasn’t feasible?  They said in their recent consultation document: “The proposed lower school playing field site is now favoured by CBC to be located elsewhere within the village. Persimmon Homes will offer to make a financial contribution in lieu of the provision of the lower school playing field on site.”

Perhaps a contribution of £2 million would be appropriate to wriggle out of the tight corner they are in, thus allowing the school to move to suitable site of their choice. And perhaps the elected members, the village and the governing body could have a transparent debate about the location. That’s what I call a level playing field.