Brickhill Liberal Democrats
Waveney Green
Dear Resident,
This is a special edition of the BrickhillBulletin. We normally would issue
only one edition monthly, but as we've had a number of enquiries about Waveney
Green we decided we should send an extra email.
I've been contacted by several local residents who were alarmed to see an
advert by Bedford Borough Council that they were ‘disposing’ of the open
space in Waveney Avenue. Borough Councillors Wendy Rider and Charles Royden
have also had queries from residents about this. The advert sounds alarming,
but is simply part of a legal process whenever the Borough ‘disposes’ of
public land.
The background is that local Liberal Democrats and Brickhill Parish Council
have wished to safeguard the Waveney Green as an area of public open space for
years. We’ve been worried that the Borough might have sought to build on more
of the land (note the gap at the top of Francis Groves Close) or that
development could extend onto any other part of the green. We asked Mayor Dave
Hodgson if the land could be transferred to the Parish Council and this is the
process currently underway. The intention is for the Parish to have a 99 year
lease of Waveney Green from the Borough, with the lease having various
conditions regarding retention of the site as an open space and the general
upkeep of the site.
The Parish Council is also currently negotiating a similar lease for Brickhill
Community Centre from the Borough.
More information will be in the next Parish Council newsletter, due soon, or
see the article on the Brickhill Parish Council website,
www.BrickhillParishCouncil.gov.uk (http://tinyurl.com/67pgeum).
The aim is for these transfers to be financially neutral for Brickhill
residents. You currently pay a ‘Special Area Charge’ as part of your
Borough Council tax; this includes the costs of the Community Centre, local
open spaces and some other items specific to Brickhill. If either or both sites
are leased to the Parish, the costs will be part of your Parish Council Tax
instead of part of your Borough Council Tax, but the total you pay is the same.
We hope that alleviates any concerns you may have about the future of the
Green. If you would like more information, please contact me, Wendy Rider or
Charles Royden. See the Brickhill Liberal Democrats’ website
www.PuttingBrickhillFirst.com for full contact details. Or come to our next
Surgery at Avon Drive shops at 10am on Saturday 19th February.
Yours faithfully,
Mark Fitzpatrick
Liberal Democrat Parish Councillor,
East Ward, Brickhill Parish Council;
Chair, Brickhill Parish CouncilFor more information, including contact details of all Brickhill Liberal Democrat Borough and Parish Councillors,
If you have any comments please email us
Liberal Democrat Councillor Surgery. Bedford Central Library,
every Saturday, 2pm-3:30pm. All welcome, just turn up.