The Houghton Regis Chalkpit is a beautiful and precious place. Sadly, it comes with a 50-year history of anti-social behaviour, and no workable solution to prevent that behaviour. As the land around the parish is developed the site will become even more attractive to all types of behaviour.
There is no public right of access to any of the site once you are off the footpath going up towards French's Avenue and anyone visiting the site without permission does so at their own risk.
There was legitimate public access when the Wildlife Trust managed the site and it was covered by their public liability insurance.
The Wildlife Trust ceased management of the site in April 2017 due to funding issues. As a voluntary warden for the site when it was under the care of the Wildlife Trust Michael Murphy believes he probably spent several thousand hours on the site, noticed and understood the problems of anti-social behaviour and suffered verbal and physical abuse sometimes for confronting it.
The site could be managed as a haven for wildlife permitting local people to have responsible access. Just over a million pounds is available for 'Quarry Management' under the funding formula with the Bidwell West Development.
The Pit is not a permanent fixed part of the Houghton Regis landscape. It was created by human activity and it can be removed by it. The site remains undeveloped because of its ecological value.
Should the site were to lose its designations as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and County Wildlife Site then overnight due to its strategic location, it would become a very valuable development site. The remaining blocks of chalk on Chalk Hill could be removed and the Chalk Pit site levelled.
Somewhat scarily, for all those who would love to enjoy nature there, the site could easily accommodate 1,000 plus homes and a million square foot of warehousing.
The Chalkpit should ideally be left for future generations.
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21/09/2021 News Item
Wildlife Trusts BCN in discussions to manage Houghton Regis Chalk Pit
Central Bedfordshire Council has been in discussions with the Wildlife Trusts Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire (Wildlife Trusts BCN) regarding the management of the Houghton Regis Chalk Pit.
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09/03/2021 News Item
Assault — Two Boys Suffer Facial Injuries in Houghton Regis Chalk Pit
Police are appealing for witnesses following an assault in the Houghton Regis Chalk Pit that took place on 6th March.
At around 2pm, there was an altercation between two groups of teenagers, and as a result, two teenage boys were assaulted and left with facial injuries requiring hospital treatment.
There were believed to be three teenagers, and they were described as white, aged between 15 and 18-years-old, and wearing dark-coloured tracksuits.
PC Jenny Buckley, investigating, said, “I am keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time of this incident, or who may have seen the three offenders in and around the area before or after the incident. The incident has left the victims shaken up and we will not tolerate this kind of behaviour on the streets of Bedfordshire.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact us via 101 or via the police online reporting centre quoting reference numbers 40/11168/21 and 40/11172/21.
CBC in Negotiations to Have the Houghton Regis Chalk Pit Managed
Wikipedia: Houghton Regis Marl Lakes is a 20.1 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire. It was notified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in 1988.
The site is a large disused chalk quarry, and it is listed by Geo-East as a "Chalk Place to Visit" due to its exposure of Totternhoe stone. It is a rare example of standing water in chalk. It is important both ornithologically and for its range of dragonflies. There are two marl lakes, one deep and one shallow, which have aquatic plants and molluscs, with fens in a waterlogged area between the lakes.
The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire managed the site between 2011 and 2015 . A Trust noticeboard at the northern and southern entrances to the site names it as Houghton Regis Chalk Pit. The Wildlife Trust BCN produced newsletters during their management period and these are retrievable online. Volunteers helped with tasks at various times. Youth Ranger activities took place and these included tasks such as scrub-clearing using conservation tools and controlled bonfires. The Chalk Pit regularly appeared in Wildlife BCN's North Chilterns Chalk volunteer programme.
