Whatever happened to Bushwood?

I was reflecting on this question, as I waded through yet another bundle of vitriolic waffle from the lawyers hired by the chaps behind Bushwood (Labour's own legal hounds), who seem to have adopted a policy of - chuck enough mud & hope some of it sticks.

I am not permitted to comment on the content of their submissions, but suffice to say much of it could have been plucked directly from a script for Alice in Wonderland.

Aside from this slightly tedious & pedestrian miasma (which will resolve itself one day), the puzzlement is more around several years of soft soap selling by Bushwood, which appears to have come to nought. Where are their 'legions' of supporters who appear to have simply faded away.

All the promises made, the commitments to build every every sporting facility known to man appear dead in the water. Hundreds of hours of presentations to just about every group imaginable, tickets bought to any event that might assist the cause & political pressure brought to bear across all parties. How many dinners & functions have been attended to promote Bushwood?

But within the responses made to Central Beds call for land & planning proposals I caught sight of a familiar name, JB Planning, who have simply recycled the Bushwood plan, but with an even larger footprint in Caddington & Slip End.

I am pleased to report that at first glance the plan looks as equally unsustainable & unaffordable as last time, but if the wonderfully misnamed Luton & Central Bedfordshire Economic Partnership wish to continue pouring bad money after even worse down the proverbial then who am I to complain.

In the meantime Central Beds ploughs on with its own Core Strategy sans Luton & Caddington & Slip End continue preparing their Neighbourhood Plan. Strangely I have not seen a similar submission from JB Planning in response to the Neighbourhood Plan call for land & sites.

I do suspect that the mud slinging from Bushwood is intended to dampen my enthusiastic opposition to their plans to create a new town on our Green Belt, sorry chaps, but I will do what I need to do.

But one thing I can assure you (and please do add this to your bulging file of blog print outs), I oppose your plans for development across 800 acres of land because they are bad, unsustainable, unaffordable and would simply merge Caddington & Slip End into the urban conurbation of Luton, I do not oppose your plans for personal financial gain.