News in brief

Conflicts of interest

People who have been away from Bedford for many years would doubtless be surprised by the huge expansion that has taken place since then. The area of Putnoe, north of the town, where I live, was little more than a farm in the sixties, whilst new buildings are cropping up everywhere. Some would deprecate this, and comment that the town was "not as it used to be" - but then they only come from those who have homes!

People living on one side of Norse Road may recall the scenery that greeted them. In the distance one can see Renhold Parish church. Only five minutes from town, this is a delightful village, far away from the endless sound of traffic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But that is all set to change. Permission to build homes on the field between Renhold and Bedford was granted some time ago, and as the picture below shows, the view is very different. You can just make out the church in the distance.

The pressure on housing of any type, let alone affordable housing, continues unabated. Central government has set very specific targets, and here is a scenario for conflict.

Now developers are appealing against a decision to put even more houses near to Norse Road, Residents are now protesting vehemently, and have vowed to continue the fight against plans for 320 homes on the green fringes of Bedford as an appeal lodged by the developer approaches.

Gleeson Homes, having twice been refused permission to build on land next to Norse Road cemetery, will try to overturn the decisions at an inquiry next month.

But Tom Vaughan, chairman of Renhold Parish Council, said residents were still opposed to the scheme, which they feared could blur the divide between the village and built-up Bedford. He said:

"The village boundary runs along the brook, but this estate would totally smash that. It may seem a bit of NIMBY-ism, but we do want to maintain the village atmosphere rather than become another Elstow, Biddenham or, if you go back far enough, Goldington.

"We already have 250 homes off Norse Road at Cranbourne Gardens, another 250 coming at the other end of Norse Road, and this scheme for 320, which would just leave it open for someone to fill the gap and build right up to the church in Renhold."

Gleeson Homes was first denied planning permission for what it described as a "sustainable urban extension" in March last year.

It had proposed a mix of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes, with up to 30 per cent of them affordable housing.

Also in the scheme was a new roundabout on Norse Road to give access to the estate, with a small road bridge taking traffic over Renhold Brook.

As an apparent "sweetener", Gleeson offered to add 27 acres of land to Norse Road cemetery, noting that its "capacity is not limitless".

But borough council planning chiefs rejected Gleeson's claim that the scheme was needed to help hit house-building targets.

They said there were already major development projects in the pipeline, including the former RAF Cardington and Elstow Storage Depot sites.

Similar arguments again won the day last September when Gleeson's hopes were once more dashed.

Councillor Michael Headley (Lib Dem, Putnoe) said residents would want to see the council's stance upheld at the appeal. He said:

"The land has been designated by the council as an Area of Special Restraint because it separates Bedford from Renhold.

"The council has allocated enough sites for housing. In planning terms, there is a danger this greenfield site would distract attention from developing harder brownfield sites."

Whilst one cannot help but have deep sympathy with the residents who will be affected, I cannot help but think that, for all I know, residents in Bedford once battled against building plans in Putnoe farm back in the fifties. Where would we be if they had won...?

And as far as affordable housing is concerned, what is an affordable home? One of my daughters, who teaches in Essex, is at the top in her field, but she will never qualify for anything other than a hopelessly punishing mortgage. The increases all over the south east have been mind-blowing; our house, which was the show house in 1970, was going for £5,900 then. Now the average price of housing is reaching £200,000. It is a frightening state of affairs, with new generations either having to rely upon inheritance or having to rent accommodation throughout their lives.

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School inspections, though challenging, are not dreaded events as they used to be. In fact, some schools welcome these events and regard them as consultation processes to be welcomed. To be pronounced as "satisfactory" or better is regarded as an achievement.

However, to be pronounced as "outstanding" is quite remarkable, and this is what Hills Lower School in Bedford has been rated. Not only outstanding, but outstanding in all areas!

Its report said that teaching at the school was ‘excellent' and that pupils achieved high standards in reading, writing, maths and science by the time they left the school. The inspectors were pleased to find that pupils ‘love' going to the school and have a clear desire to succeed.

Part of the inspectors' report praises the personal development of the pupils. Children ‘grow remarkably' in confidence and sense of responsibility as they move through the school.

Now that really is an accolade, and the staff and governors have every good reason to celebrate!

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The battle for local power is hotting up, with an evidently rattled County Council hiring the services of a public relations giant who will reputedly earn more than £30,000 in five months, by badgering central Government on behalf of the county council.

The council has hired Bell Pottinger Public Affairs (BPPA) to lobby Whitehall over the council's bid for unitary status.

After years of dissatisfaction from residents paying one of the highest council taxes in Britain, the county's three district councils have applied to absorb the county council's functions and form unitary authorities.

A unitary council would perform both the ‘neighbourhood' functions of a district council and the ‘countywide' functions of a county council.

Since this would see the county council technically abolished, it has put in a unitary counter-bid to absorb the three district councils.

Meanwhile, as reported in previous newsletters, the Burrough of Bedford is making a bid to stand alone.

In fact, the County Council's performance has improved considerably in the past few months. Government inspectors think Bedfordshire County Council is improving well and have awarded it two-star status.

The Audit Commission's grade means BCC has gone from zero stars to two stars in just two years.

The number one concern of residents, the state of the roads, was described as ‘much improved'.

The commission noted ‘significant improvements' in priority areas, including the wellbeing of children and young people.

Adult social care is now ranked 29th nationally (out of 150 councils), and the council has significantly improved recycling and composting rates.

The council is also offering better value for money, and staff morale has improved with staff clear on the council's objectives.

The inspectors also recorded that overall satisfaction with the council has improved.

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A new incentive scheme offering driving lessons to motivate students at Biddenham Upper School has been hailed as a "21st century solution."

Assistant headteacher Dave Appleby has used a £4-5,000 Government grant to launch an initiative to reward selected Year 11 pupils with a ten-week after- school driving course.

Twelve students, aged 15-16 years, have been selected for the project, taking instruction on the school's derelict tennis courts since the new year.

Mr Appleby said: "I have had one student who isn't keen on studies, but now wants to go to lessons after taking part in the scheme. His whole attitude has changed and this is the reason why we are doing this.

"This initiative has been successfully received, and I am both the most popular and least popular teacher in the school at the moment. We cannot afford to give lessons to everyone in the year, and believe selection was the fairest way possible."

Mr Appleby, who has been teaching for 21 years, explained: "From the Revising Achievements Schemes – those who are underachieving and need extra help, to those who have most improved and students who have done really well or excelled over the year, have been picked for the initiative. We only have a maximum of 20 places due to cost limitations, so it has been difficult to select."

Bromham driving school BDS has set aside two cars and three instructors for the scheme, which runs every Thursday after school for an hour, and during half-term every day for two hours.

BDS director Tim Chandler said: "From what I have seen so far the kids absolutely love it. We cover all modes of driving, as outlined by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA).

"From road awareness, manoeuvres, theoretical considerations and controls, we have provided the students to be more equipped for driving before they can legally do so.

"By using vehicles, they are becoming safer and becoming more aware of hazards. But also, we believe we are putting something back into the community which is both positive and innovative."

Coun John Mingay (Con, Newnham), who teaches permanently excluded students aged from 11 to 15 years in Luton, agreed and said: "There are 21st century problems in relation to children, as times have changed. To an extent this can be addressed by using this 21st century solution.

"Driving a car is an essential part of everyday life and this is a great idea to teach our children life skills, rather than just putting them through exam factories.

"It's most satisfying to hear that someone is taking interest, during their own free time, to help kids respond. It's a complex situation but, by giving them something back, the kids will only want to help themselves."

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NIRAH, the large scale equivalent of the Eden project in the west, continues to gain momentum, and it seems likely that the project will go ahead. However, one can count chickens too early. We have a quaintly British tendency to underestimate costs (the Olympic bid is now said to be costing five times as much as stated in the bid a year ago!) and the wheels are grinding slowly. The good thing is that there seems to be a more general agreement that the project is worth backing, and even Nadine Dorries, the mid-Beds. MP who so vehemently opposed the scheme (whilst claiming to support it) seems to have quietened down a little on this subject.

Incidentally, Nadine Dorries has joined the current craze for blogs, and hers has apparently proved to be quite popular, though some people may read it for a bit of a laugh more than for edification. Have a look for it here and decide for yourself! Modesty and self-effasiveness seem to elude her a little, and some of her ramblings may benefit from a large pinch of salt, but there are some aspects of her policies that one might identify with! Worth counting the number of times the name Nadine appears on her front page!

The voice of Renaissance Bedford has also joined the chorus of support for Nirah. Over 1,000 businesses are saying "yes" to Nirah and more than 14,000 local people have signed a petition of support.

Writing to Bedfordshire County Council in support of Nirah, Chris Watts Executive Director of Renaissance Bedford said:

"....it is time, I feel for our own voice to be added to those local agencies and organisations which are very supportive of this very exciting and innovative development.

..our primary remit and focus is the delivery of housing, and associated new employment in the Growth Area in the period up to 2021.  The challenges are steep especially in the area of employment growth.  For this reason we can see that Nirah, being proposed to be located within the Growth Area itself, if developed on the lines proposed in the planning application, will have a significant potential to assist us and our partners in realising the required "step change" in new employment in the Growth Area.  This would especially be in the area of direct and indirect knowledge based research and science based jobs, in supporting and triggering the growth of local supply chain companies, and in reinforcing other existing support networks and economic multiplier effects."

..Nirah has the potential to completely change the way in which external inward investors and developers see the County, and the Growth Area itself in the future....Nirah could radically change the Growth Area's brand and economic profile, and strengthen its image and identity, in a very positive way.  It could also help to encourage a cluster of new eco-tourism facilities and attractions to develop and grow here...which is at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc."

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The centre of town continues to flourish, and the number of visits (quaintly labelled as "footfall") continues to grow. At the same time, some areas decline. The card shop sandwiched between Marks & Spencers, which had been gutted by a fire only recently, has ceased trading. So has the card shop in the Arcade.