Six month deadline given for site appeal - Bedfordshire

From Bedford On Sunday

A CONTROVERSIAL proposal for a Gypsy and Traveller site in Bedford has once again been thrown out by members of a planning committee.

The decision was made at a meeting of Bedford Borough Council’s planning committee on Monday night when members unanimously voted to reject plans put forward by a group of five councillors for a site at Fairhill.

However, as many in the Borough expected, the group now plan to take the matter to a government inspector on appeal in an effort to force Mayor Dave Hodgson to deliver on the Meadow Lane site more quickly.

Representing the five at the meeting, Councillor Tom Wootton said: “If the Mayor gets his skates on with Meadow Lane, then this site is not needed. He has six months from tonight.”

Abstaining from the vote, Councillor Phil Merryman, said: “I hope we get Meadow lane done in time but from start to finish this has all been a shambles.”

Cllr Wootton’s time warning was the least the authority had to worry about however, as computer failures at Borough Hall caused problems.

To add to the tense atmosphere at the meeting, the speaker system which allows members of the public to listen in the gallery was not working properly, leaving many unhappy that they were trapped in a small room on a warm day with no way to hear the proceedings.

Sarah Milligan of Chaucer Road in Bedford, who was at the meeting, said: “The organisation of the meeting was complete and utter chaos.”

A spokesman for the council said: “Bedford Borough Council is committed to working in an open and transparent way and where we anticipate that a significant number of people are expected to attend, we make arrangements in advance for the meeting concerned to be held in a different venue.

“Committee Room 1 and the viewing gallery have capacity for approximately 85 people. We recognise that as more people attended than expected the venue was not adequate and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”