'Why is Linslade Green Belt site still allocated for housing in Local Plan despite overwhelming local opposition?'

When land north of Soulbury Road was first designated in 2018 for development of 55 homes it left the community aghast.

And campaigners voiced their concerns to Government inspectors at Local Plan examination hearings at CBC's Chicksands HQ last summer.

After those initial hearings, the inspectors - who are considering if the plan meets the appropriate requirements and can be adopted - raised a number of follow-up questions with CBC, which led to the council providing additional evidence and making revisions to the draft plan. CBC's consultation on these changes ends on August 12 at 5pm.

However, the housing paper amendments do not include the removal of the Soulbury Road 1.73 hectare parcel of land which remains in the small and medium allocations.

Town councillor Clive Palmer, who organised a petition in 2018 protesting the “ludicrous” decision by CBC to include Soulbury Road for development, has written to the council again to hammer home local objections.

And Leighton-Linslade Town Council has also decided to write to CBC to support Cllr Palmer and reiterate its previous objections against applications to develop the site, including Green Belt designation and for ecological and biodiversity reasons, given its close proximity to Linslade Wood.

Cllr Palmer's letter states how he is "disturbed" that CBC isn't planning to exclude the site in the face of "overwhelming local opposition".

He said: "The case for removal of the land from the Green Belt to allow its development against the criteria of the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) is, at best, unproven on the basis of the evidence. Thus, in 2017, Green Belt analysis for the council concluded that 'the parcel has a sense of separation from both countryside and the settlement and so makes a moderate contribution to Green Belt purposes'. It was, therefore, concluded that “site to be excluded from Local Plan process'.

"However, despite this, the parcel in question was subsequently included in the draft Local Plan as submitted for development with highly contentious value judgements in support when development of the land would both be contrary to the NPPF Green Belt criteria of safeguarding the countryside from encroachment and preventing urban sprawl."

Cllr Palmer added that the northern boundary of the site runs along the edge of Linslade Wood which includes within its boundaries a nearby area of Ancient Woodland and County Wildlife Site.

He said several bat species populate the woods, all protected by both domestic and international legislation, and questioned whether there had been a proper ecological survey of the potential impacts by CBC.

A CBC spokesman said: “Full consideration of the impact on the surrounding area, including the environment was part of the process in assessing the suitability of all sites for future development.

“The plan, including all allocated sites, was subject to extensive hearing sessions during last year and it is the Inspectors’ role to consider all the evidence and to ultimately recommend any changes to the plan they consider are appropriate to make the plan ‘sound’. This process is ongoing.

“The current consultation on the Local Plan is inviting feedback on the additional information the council has provided to answer specific questions raised by the Planning Inspectors.

“The Inspectors did not ask the council for further information or evidence relating to the site in question (HAS33), therefore it is not part of the current consultation.”

More about the Local Plan here https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/45/planning_policy/468/local_plan_-_overview/17