Sunday morning saw me out bright and early for a cycle ride on the new western bypass. The road is not yet open, but will lead from the A421 at Kempston to the A428 near Biddenham. The Bedford De Parys Rotary Club organised a charity cycle ride to raise funds for the Alzheimer's Society and RYA Sailability. The weather was kind and there was a good turn out.
Tesco have submitted a formal planning application for the Upper High Street development site. This follows an exhibition of their proposals during the summer months.
Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne has written to the Home Secretary to raise concerns over the misleading use of statistics to justify holding the DNA of innocent people on the Government's database.
Whilst the dedication and enthusiasm of Downland Housing Association staff in promoting resident involvement and discussing issues in an open and honest way is clearly evident, gaps still exist in some areas of practice as the association is merged yet again to become the more nationally focused Affinity Sutton Housing Association. The former Mid Sussex Housing Association which took over the local district councils housing stock was subsumed within the larger organisation, and a series of mergers has led to this latest national merger of housing associations.
The 67% Irish vote in favour of the Lisbon Treaty is a vote against the Conservative and UKIP politicians who tried to urge a no vote and who would like to see us withdraw from Europe at the cost of local jobs. The Conservatives are tied to their Eurosceptic wing who forced David Cameron to withdraw his MEP's from a mainstream caucus in the European Parliament, and instead to align themselves with a handful of east European extreme right wingers. It is no coincidence that the Conservative who described the NHS as "a sixty year mistake" is an MEP representing the same strand of rightwing Eurosceptics that seem to want to see us out of Europe whatever the cost to our economy.
Two major developments are being proposed by developers for sites in Lower Sunbury. Between them the developments would comprise about 400 units with over 300 on the London Irish site and 88 at the Environment Agency on Fordbridge Road.