Local People Talked To Mid Beds
Mid Beds must allocate sites to create a further 9,000 new jobs in the district by 2021 and build 4,400 homes by 2026. These figures make up the balance of overall targets to provide 14,000 new jobs in the district between 2001 and 2021, and 17,000 new homes between 2001 and 2026, 12,600 of which have already been built or have gained planning permission.
Approximately 400 sites have been submitted to Mid Beds District Council for potential development, of which only 40 to 50 will eventually be allocated for development. To ensure local people had their say on all 400 sites during March and April Mid Beds toured an exhibition around 17 locations, delivered information to every home and set up a special website so people could “talk to Mid Beds” from their homes around the clock.
The final surge of responses are currently being processed but so far nearly 9,000 people used the website or replied via post and email and another 211 used laptops at the exhibitions.
Ken Matthews, Planning Portfolio Holder said: "We are extremely pleased by this terrific response and would like to thank all those who took the time to take part. We will now be looking at all these responses in detail and using them to find the 40 to 50 sites most suitable for potential development. We hope to make the results of the consultation available in the next couple of months. Consultation on the preferred sites will then take place towards the end of the year."
