JANUARY 2022
2022 started with a host of promises. We learnt that Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) was to ask a typical council taxpayer in a Band D property to pay an extra 61p a week, an overall increase of 1.95%. Meanwhile, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Bedfordshire was hoping for a £10 rise in the Police share of Council Tax for a Band D property, whilst the Fire and Rescue Authority was considering a council tax increase of 1.99% or an increase for a Band D property of around 4p per week.
The Government was to boost spending in Bedfordshire by £6.9 million in 2022-23, as part of the Government’s Beating Crime Plan. Schools in the CBC area were being promised a £19m funding boost.
A new 11-acre park at Linmere was due to open in the spring. A timelapse video showed the building of the Farmstead on Houghton Regis' Linmere Site (HRN1). Linked to Linmere, residents were encouraged to join the RSPB Birdwatch which takes place annually at the end of January. Later that month, we learnt that a dog groomer with a ‘royal' pedigree was poised to move into Linmere's Farmstead community hub.
The Road Policing Unit warned drivers about the £100 fine and 3 penalty points you could get if your windscreen is obscured (by ice, for example).
Local MP, Andrew Selous, said he was very pleased about £19.9 million being received for a new community wellbeing centre hub in Houghton Regis. On levelling up, he put in pleas for more GPs to match areas where new homes are being built and called for the national formula for police funding to be changed. The MP later pledged his allegiance to Holocaust Memorial Day honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust.
Residents of Houghton Regis were being consulted about proposals for a new leisure centre.
Councillors at CBC voted in favour of dual-use of Houghton Regis community centre until Central Bedfordshire College can find an alternative venue.
FEBRUARY 2022
The Farmstead at Linmere was almost complete with internal fittings left to do.
Domestic abuse was on CBC's agenda and a new strategy was being trumpeted. And they were reconsidering their Adult Carers Strategy. Young Carers were seen in a video. The Council also had a £5.3 million fund to provide business rates relief for businesses impacted by COVID-19. CBC approved plans to make an Enhanced Partnership with bus operators. And they approved a provider to install electric vehicle charge points.
There was a debate on Houghton Regis Community Centre. Councillors and the Houghton Regis Town Clerk addressed the meeting at CBC headquarters.
There was continuing concern that CBC wanted to develop Windsor Drive open space for up to 100 homes. They told us, “The Council remains committed to involving the public should it get to the stage where any proposals are developed."
At Bidwell West (HRN2), a Community group was to appoint Residents to its Management Committee and residents were asked what residents would like to see. More than three-quarters of the Brambleside local estate had been built at Bidwell West.
At the Linmere site, they were emphasising apprenticeships.
There was an altercation outside an address in Hammersmith Gardens where a man was stabbed.
Photos of The Brook, a development on Windsor Drive, showed it controversially towering over a neighbouring building.
It's Not Okay Week was featured this month. The campaign by Bedfordshire Police aims to raise awareness and deter acts of violence and abuse. Meanwhile, a multi-force swooped on Toddington Services in an attempt to search for people trafficked into the UK.
There was a development proposal for a range of new industrial warehouse units between M1 and Luton Road. And another developer was looking for permission to build 29 homes off Bedford Road. Meanwhile, CPRE (Campaign for Rural England), the countryside charity, were asking for your help in looking up at the heavens to Count the Stars, and CBC was pointing out that 80 homes a year were being brought back into use.
Houghton Regis Town Council (HRTC) were considering 'Plant a Tree for the Jubilee' and a site on the Village Green was where they were looking. A Community Action Day was held in Houghton Regis on 15 February and hailed as successful despite heavy rain.
Helena Brothwell was announced as chair of governors for the forthcoming Houstone School.
Council Tax for 2022/3 was confirmed; all the figures are here.
MARCH 2022
CBC was updating its Design Guide and wanted to know what residents thought was important in the design of new developments. And they wanted to know the public's thoughts on engine idling. They also wondered if residents of Churchfield wanted one-way traffic? And, if you were planning to drive to Dunstable or Leighton Buzzard there was news of parking changes for you in CBC's car parks.
CBC was rated Good for the social care services it provides to children and families and supported over 9,000 vulnerable households over the winter. CBC was awarded over £450,000 of Government funding to support people experiencing domestic abuse, and a further £109,000 of funding for disabled toilets. Schools in the area were to take part in a wheely fun challenge, while the PCC was getting schools to debate.
In policing, March saw 37 new student officers and detectives joining the ranks of Bedfordshire Police.
To coincide with HRTC's 'Plant a Tree' project, the Heritage Society conducted a heritage walk around Houghton Hall Park.
NGDANCE, and Dog grooming in a swanky new parlour, at The Farmstead had taken off, and the first residents at the Linmere site had moved in. Bellway was starting to market 154 new homes at Linmere.
Homes England (HE) had developed a website showing the public the path they are taking on their journey to provide up to 350 new homes east of Houghton Park Road, on the eastern side of Parkside. Off Bedford Road, a range of energy-efficient homes with air-source heat pumps and PV roof panels were beginning to be built.
At Chalton a new facility was proposed to help with EV charging.
Plans were approved for a new crematorium in the CBC area.
Central Bedfordshire College needed improvement according to the latest Ofsted report.
A local shoplifter was banned from the shops.
To serve Bidwell West, the Hi bus service was introduced.
APRIL 2022
Lady Jane Clifford was sworn in as the new High Sheriff of Bedfordshire for 2022/2023.
A 29-year-old was able to afford to buy his own home in Houghton Regis thanks to the Government’s Help to Buy scheme.
At Bidwell West, the alarm was raised over rust-coloured liquid running off from the former rubbish tip site, now Bluewaters Wood.
Andrew Selous, MP, welcomed nearly £2m funding for policing, specifically targeted at knife, gun and homicide-related crimes. Figures showed that there were 134 new officers in Bedfordshire since September 2019. He spoke out on Ukraine, supported Bowel Cancer Awareness month, and backed Guide Dogs, All Things Equal campaign.
Remote access scams were on the rise.
A new energy centre will make the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital one of the most environmentally friendly hospitals in the country.
A bike safety campaign was launched. CBC told us about its Free School Meals over the upcoming Easter holiday period and reported that 1300 had taken this up.
Friends of Windsor Drive joined in with The Great British Spring Clean.
CBC was to receive £3.5million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which is designed to build pride in where people live and increase life chances across the UK.
Houghton Hall Park got prepared to be involved with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
A rapist from Houghton Regis was jailed.
MAY 2022
There had been dawn raids in Dunstable and Luton after gunshots were fired in Luton. In police conduct, a former Special Constable was placed on the barred list after admitting to harassing a previous partner.
At CBC, slow payments to Ukrainian refugees in the UK were on the mind of Independent Councillor, Adam Zerny. Opposition councillors at CBC were again making noises when names of Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) had been revealed in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
In Houghton Regis, there was some concern that the new leisure centre would not have a sports hall. A spokesperson for CBC said it would be an over-provision.
Houghton Regis Children’s Centre set up a much-requested 'Twins, Triplets, Quads Plus Stay and Play group'.
I suggested that locals try a walk on the Chalgrave Heritage Trail.
At HRTC the outgoing mayor, Cllr Clare Coplestone, was delighted to announce that a grand total of £2,400.00 had been raised for her chosen charities, SSAFA (the armed forces charity) and firefighters999 (the firefighters charity). The new mayor is Cllr Yvonne Farrell.
Houghton Regis Library looked for help to make some fabulous Jubilee bunting.
In Houghton Regis, a burglar with "close links to the town" was being sought by police. A series of No Waiting at Any Time notices were to go up in Tithe Farm, and the Peel Street car parking restrictions were to become permanent.
At Linmere, a developer was donating a defibrillator to a local school.
JUNE 2022
This month was to be Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, and a raft of events were planned for Houghton Regis. The Houghton Regis Memorial Hall celebrated its 65th birthday this year. Later, HRTC responded to comments that their Queens Jubilee Tree plaque was rusty — “it was made that way”.
Andrew Selous, MP, was concerned enough to ask in Parliament, about the assessment made of the potential merits of requiring dogs which have attacked livestock to be (a) destroyed and (b) trained with e-collars. And he raised his concerns again about GP provision in conjunction with new build housing schemes.
Bedfordshire Police reported that almost 150 firearms have been handed in across the region as part of a police gun amnesty.
A community building at Bidwell West was given funding approval.
On Land East of Houghton Park Road, the second stage of public consultation went ahead. Stage 3 and 4 were due in 2022, but to date, there is no further update on the project's website.
CBC looked into fly-tipping and their reporting software. The new Houstone School would not be ready in September, as hoped, and the opening was now expected in the Spring of 2023. Roman remains had been found on the new school site.
Red House Court was reduced to rubble (above) as the fore-runner to building Stage 2 of All Saints View, a housing project by CBC for the over 55s.
A man who caused a serious road traffic collision in Tebworth that killed his brother and a friend was jailed for six years.
CBC were advancing their plans for a new road connecting M1 to A6 across the north of Luton. Luton News Desk has more information about this route.
A plan was submitted to provide parking for Amazon delivery vans next to Houghton Hall Park. In November, a local town councillor spoke against the application at a CBC Development Control meeting.
There was to be a summer concert at the end of June, in Houghton Regis. Parts of Parkside Drive were to have a 20mph limit (approved in September). A number of accidents on the A505 to/from Leighton Buzzard had caused concerns.
JULY 2022
Londoner, Emily Tracy, was commissioned to set about creating a Public Art Project for All Saints View. A new leisure centre for Houghton Regis was given approval.
Area Master Plan 4 (AMP4) was out for public consultation at the Linmere site and local builders had donated a wormery to a school.
The Met Office warned of a heatwave coming to the area which prompted highways to say they were going out gritting to help protect the roads from melting!
My photos showed development work in Linmere.
At HRTC any hopes of developing land at Grendall Lane for a cemetery were dashed as councillors were divided on opinion of its suitability.
Houghton Hall Park was among the national winners of a Green Flag Award.
CBC trialled a new EV charging system. A new building for Thornhill Primary School was completed. Bedfordshire was to receive £1,023,932 from the latest £50 million round of the Government’s Safer Streets Fund.
Town mayor, Yvonne Farrell, took part in a topping-out ceremony at Thorn Springs, a new care home.
AUGUST 2022
Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Festus Akinbusoye worked in partnership with local authorities in Bedfordshire to support their Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programmes this summer. Officers used life-saving nasal spray.
Dog-poo was cited as a reason by householder in Linmere Walk for wanting to enclose land.
Tithe Farm Road was being closed so that it could be remade. Overgrown sections of a path at Sewell were being cleared. And there were announcements about improving Blackburn Road.
CBC was consulting on accessing services in Houghton Regis and Dunstable, and saying that their plans to redevelop Windsor Drive open space were now paused.
Barratt Homes donated 30 educational books to pupils from Chalton Lower School, which is located in proximity to the housebuilder’s Linmere development in Betony Meadow, Houghton Regis.
£520,000 was announced to help patrols in areas affected by violent crime. There were arrests in Luton and Houghton Regis as Bedfordshire Police cracked down on organised crime.
A former police inspector admitted online child sexual offences. Bedfordshire Police had a plan to curb racism.
A Houghton Regis man admitted council tax fraud.
Opposition councillors wanted to reopen the discussion on a Grendall Lane site being developed as a cemetery and another town council sub-committee was held.
There was a showcase peek at the Thorn Springs care home. The White Lion, at Chalk Hill, Houghton Regis, reopened. There was a Green Flag Award for Thornhill Primary School.
SEPTEMBER 2022
It was announced that Heron Foods would be coming to town, taking a retail unit at All Saints View, and a unit for a dentist would be available at Bidwell West local centre. Meanwhile the former vacant Netto/Morrisons store was acquired by a Canadian investment company.
Queen Elizabeth II passed in September, and arrangements were made in Houghton Regis for local mourning.
HRTC was inviting people to register their interest in an allotment.
CBC was consulting on changes to Council Tax that would make it simpler for claimants to claim a reduction, whilst Whipsnade Zoo offered qualifying groups of people an entry price of just £3.
This month police and community workers were out and about looking for weapons that might be hidden in bushes and other public places.
CBC secured funding to contribute to the installation of 48 new electric vehicle charge points with 98 charging bays at 12 locations across Central Bedfordshire. And, there was an opportunity for a Smart Free driving course. The council was asking people to use fireworks that were the quiet kind.
OCTOBER 2022
A Houghton Regis councillor was shortlisted for a national award.
A Houghton Regis man was wanted for burglaries in the area.
Blackburn Road was due to be upgraded.
HRND took a look at the price of burial outside of Houghton Regis, seeing as inside the parish is no longer an option.
CBC launched a new grant scheme to help residents become physically and socially active. The council also highlighted the problem of contaminated recycling waste and urged residents to rinse before putting rubbish out.
Bellway opened a sales office and two show homes at Linmere.
There was a fall in serious youth crime during the summer.
Andrew Selous, MP, showed his green credentials in a couple of items about green issues.
A new teaching block at Thornhill School (above) was officially opened and Councillors were caught pedalling for energy at the Linmere site. Between the A5 and Linmere, path clearance volunteers were due to cut back overgrowth.
A suspected live hand grenade was found at a tidy tip.
The planning inspectorate turned down an appeal for a proposed small industrial units scheme at Boscombe Road/Porz Avenue.
Plans emerged for a shake-up within BBC Local Radio.
NOVEMBER 2022
The first residents set up their homes at Thorn Springs care home.
Two people lost their lives in a late-night stabbing incident in the town. Two were quickly arrested for this crime. Five days later, HRND was reporting that 3 arrests had now been made, and the victims had been named. Five days after that, HRND was reporting that a 4th man had been charged, and a fifth arrested. On our Facebook Page, HRND linked to Patrick's public Facebook Group where those affected posted messages, videos and photos of those who lost their lives.
A Houghton Regis man was jailed after abuse to a former girlfriend.
A police and council operation concluded with a scrap metal truck driver being fined £3000 for not having proper credentials.
CBC outlined its plans to help people with the cost of living, and HRTC had packs to deliver to families in need, paid for out of charitable discretionary grants that the 4 CBC councillors for Houghton Regis were able to direct.
CBC set up bike repair stations and one was to be found at Houghton Hall Park. A local Independent CBC councillor aired a proposal for a crime hub to occupy a retail unit at All Saints View.
DECEMBER 2022
Bin Collection arrangements and library services during December 2022.
Path clearance volunteers came back to carry on the work beside the A5 at Linmere.
CBC announced changes to the app provider for their car parks. They also announced their new highway contractor.
Local schoolchildren collected recycling material to help their understanding of the subject.
Andrew Selous, MP, was at Cranfield getting to understand zero-emission flights.
Festus Akinbusoye, PCC, put on record his thanks to the people of Houghton Regis for helping with enquiries about last month's stabbing incident.
After a £500,000 investment, the Luton & Dunstable hospital re-opened a pharmacy.
At Bellway’s Linmere Gateway development in Houghton Regis, the first couple had moved in.
Looking ahead, CBC say that PayByPhone will take over from the current provider JustPark on 3 January 2023 and they wanted people to sign up in advance.
Wednesday, 28 December 2022
Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Consultation out now for Thornhill Primary School admissions for 2024/25
Central Bedfordshire Council has launched a six-week consultation on proposed changes to the admission arrangements for Thornhill Primary School for the academic year 2024/25. If approved, the changes will come into effect for the 2024/25 school year.
School places are typically allocated in a particular order of priority. The Council is asking members of the public to have their say on the admission changes to this particular school.
Thornhill Primary School has requested the school’s catchment area be amended to include the Linmere Housing Development where families living on the estate may want to send their children to the local primary school in the area.
The proposed amendment to Thornhill Primary School's catchment area is currently grassland and unpopulated. The area is proposed to have new housing in the future. The site is currently in the catchment of Chalton Lower School and in the short term would not affect pupil numbers at this school.
Cllr Sue Clark, Executive Member for Families, Education and Children, at Central Bedfordshire Council said: “Admission changes to three of our schools are detailed in our consultation document, and we are asking for the public’s thoughts on these.
“No other changes are being proposed for community and voluntary controlled schools in the area, so admission arrangements for the academic year 2024/25 will remain the same as last year for these schools.”
All the proposed changes to this school and two others are detailed in the consultation document, which is available, along with the consultation questionnaire, online here.
The consultation is open until Tuesday 31 January 2023.
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