At the very end of March, Cllr Lucy Bywater and I were stunned to discover that dozens of residents of the ward we represent are in homes threatened with demolition (as well as dozens more just outside the ward). We KNOW it is perfectly possible for East West Rail (EWR) to achieve their goals without these demolitions. Residents will, rightly, look to us to put up a good fight to help protect these homes from demolition. Please help them by signing and sharing the petition.
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The council has agreed to commission consultants to do studies that will help residents of the next-door ward who are threatened with demolition, but we have recently discovered this will not include the studies that would help the residents we represent in Castle Ward. So, we have put together the petition which calls on the council to make sure the consultants the council is commissioning are briefed to find ways to avoid demolitions at all of the sites where EWR have indicated a risk of demolition. Please sign and share the petition.
We also want to make sure that the opportunities of East West Rail are not lost. It gives chances to improve Bedford's rail links north and south as well as east/west, while improving the station's links to the town centre, bus routes, the cycle and pedestrian networks. But getting these advantages doesn't have to mean demolishing homes on Ashburnham Road. The council needs its consultants to be properly briefed both about the advantages we want to gain and the demolitions that should be avoided. Please help us put pressure on the council to do this.
If you want more information on how the railway can be built without these demolitions, please do email to ask. Many thanks for signing and sharing the petition.
Yours,
Ben Foley
One of the Green Party's councillors for Castle Ward
PS We know the council is sensitive to public opinion on some of the demolitions - extra signatures really will help persuade them to pay attention to all demolitions. Please sign now.
