SIR – I'm a bit of a live music enthusiast and have been to a few festivals over the last few years.
Top of my list last year were the two festivals on my doorstep, Glenn Miller and Rhythm Festival in Clapham.

What surprised me at both events were how few Bedford people were there. I have lived in this town all my life and know a lot of people, yet saw very few familiar faces.

I think there is a tendency to assume that something so close to home won't be much good. How wrong! Although Glenn Miller is before my time, the wonderful setting of the arena, with droves of people in 1940s outfits dancing on the wooden dancefloor in the sunshine to the bands, was like being transported back in time. I was spellbound.

The Rhythm Festival was more vibrant and even my 16-year-old daughters, who I persuaded to go, were dancing all evening to the likes of Steve Harley and the wonderful Seth Lakeman. The atmosphere was awesome and we really didn't care who was playing, it was just the best evening and a stone's throw from home.

To those who managed to get to the Glenn Miller festival, I hope you enjoyed it and I urge you to give the Rhythm Festival a try this weekend – I'm certain you will be pleasantly surprised how good a local event can be. See you there!

Jo Bright
Fetlock Close, Clapham

We will act to prevent this catastrophe

SIR – We were appalled to read that Marston Vale is favoured by the government as a suitable site for an eco-town simply because of the lack of local opposition.

So far no authority has sought the opinion of those residents
living in the villages that will be swamped, should this disastrous scheme to build at least 15,000 new homes and high rise blocks go ahead.

Indeed, the lack of consultation with residents is such that if this is a done deal then it has been obtained by stealth.

There are three very determined action groups opposing the development and hundreds of residents have expressed their opposition by signing petitions, and writing to Caroline Flint, the housing minister.

Are these measures ignored? Considered not strident enough? Will our feelings only be considered if accompanied by some form of demonstration designed to cause the maximum disturbance and inconvenience?

We have chosen to live in a village and the last thing we want is to be included in the sprawl which will extend from Milton Keynes to Bedford.
Village life will become a thing of the past. We don't want it, we don't need it and we're determined to do all in our power to prevent this catastrophe being plonked on our doorstep.

Gwen and James Brown
Marston Moretaine

Kill eco-towns idea before it's too late
SIR – With reference to the eco-towns debate, I fear an eco town is going to become the reality if the wider Bedfordshire community does not rise up in protest.

Do we really want the whole of Bedfordshire concreted over?
Caroline Flint MP, the minister for housing – and now the most reviled MP in Parliament – is determined to push ahead with her plans.

And she will succeed if there is not more protest from the local community, our councils and our MPs. Where is Nadine Dorries and colleagues when we need them? Although the Tories have promised to abandon eco-towns if they ever get into power, it seems to me that they are quite happy to let Ms Flint push ahead with them as they know they are a vote loser for Labour.

I recommend all the action groups in Bedfordshire widen their net of protest and get the surrounding communities of Ampthill, Flitwick, and Woburn involved as it will affect us all – and use the Times & Citizen to inform us of local action so we can all get involved in lobbying our councillors and MPs. If we don't act now it will be too late.

Ghislain Pascal
Church Street, Ampthill

Residents will fight to oppose eco-town

SIR – I feel compelled to write, following your front page report (T&C, August 21) regarding the proposed so-called 'eco-town' for Marston Vale.

I wanted to reiterate the strength of feeling in the
community against this proposal and wholehearted support the efforts of the Marston Moretaine Action Group in opposing this.

Members of this community have actively opposed this proposal since this plan first came to light, with a good turnout of local residents at local meetings on the subject, also attended the Mid Beds MP, local councillors and members of the neighbouring action groups in Lidlington, Stewartby and Cranfield.

Direct action has also been taken by residents, raising their views in writing directly to the housing minister.

I imagine she will be in little doubt now regarding the views of local residents.

Councils and other organisations have also been contacted to raise views opposing this.

Please be in no doubt – this proposal is not sound in
principle. Local residents will continue to fight to oppose this.

Fiona Munday
by email

Eco-town plan is for a mini Milton Keynes

SIR – I would like to thank you for giving eco-towns issue coverage in last week's paper and I was wondering whether the public realise how it affects Lidlington and Marston.

If proposals go ahead, the windsurfing lake at Lidlington will be completely surrounded by flats, houses and other unwanted buildings.

We already have plans passed to begin building on the Wicks site at Kempston Hardwick and building a new Center Parks in Warren Woods, and I believe Stewartby as well.

This would create a continuous housing development from Bedford to Ridgmont.

For years we have had the brick industry emitting sulphur from its chimneys but at least it gave local people jobs.

Now they have gone, this massive development – which is completely unsustainable and gives us nothing – is far, far too big to be considered.

Just imagine what it will do to our beautiful countryside, let alone the rubbish, noise and general destruction of village life.

A lot of us moved here in the first place to get away from a town-like existence, now our thoughtless government is trying to build it on green land. Is nothing sacred anymore?

We have never objected to a sensible number of new houses but we don't want a mini Milton Keynes.

How the heck can it be called an eco-town?

MR TD Jepp
Whitehall, Lidlington

Eco-town is NOT a done deal

SIR – In response your front page report (T&C August 21), plans for a so-called eco-town are NOT a done deal.

The village hall was overcrowded to the point of standing room only at the meeting in July, and all present signed the petition against the project.

Forty years ago when Milton Keynes erupted on the scene, taking with it thousands of acres of good farming land – much of it belonging to relatives of ours – we were promised that the city would not encroach over the M1. How thoughtful of them.

They did not, however, promise that the city would not join up from the other side which it is now in the process of doing.

With our hospitals, schools and all other services oversubscribed to the point that people have to be turned away, roads congested enough already making driving ever more hazardous, not to mention the fact that the government is already talking of importing grain due to our difficult harvest this year – why insist on covering even more of our green and pleasant farming land with concrete?

And how are another 30,000 people going to find employment in Bedfordshire?

As a footnote, we were either born in the countryside or came to live in a village because we preferred country life.

Is it fair and just that we should one day wake up and find ourselves in the middle of a city? We fully support the efforts of MMETAG.

Rebecca and Frank Cook
Hillgreen Farm, Cranfield

Keep Marston Vale a good place to live

SIR – With regard to your article concerning the lack of opposition for the proposal of the eco-town at Marston Vale. I wonder on what basis this assumption was made. There has been and still is an enormous amount of opposition with action groups being pro-active.

I myself live in Marston Moretaine and the MMETAG are doing a fanastic job. I understand that nationally there is a lack of housing but soon, if things continue, there will be a lack of Green Belt. Let us all together keep Marston Vale a good open place to live.

ME Woodward, by email

Real desire to ignore local people's wishes

SIR – In some ways I appreciated your headline linking 'fear' and 'eco-town' – not because it's a done deal but because people should be fearful and should act on that fear, now. Local action groups do have large numbers of supporters but our politicians need to be more visible and vocal against the destruction of village life.

The government's own paper on eco-towns stated that of the two original proposals in Bedfordshire, any development should be Bedford-centric rather than MK-centric due to the unwanted danger of linking Bedford and MK.

However, it is now clear that by ignoring brown field options and focusing on the last remaining greenfield break between Bedford and MK, this government's desire is create a new major conurbation of Bedford-MK City just 50 miles north of London.

The Council for Protection of Rural England (CPRE) states that there is "sufficient stock of brownfield sites...to build one million homes". Why ignore this option and opt for greenfield land?

Every logical and intellectual argument says that an eco-town in Marston Vale is a non starter and yet the government has us as a front runner.

Consultation is non-existent and the proposed 'presentations' have been advertised in a way that the vast majority of people would not have seen them. Could you find the advert in last week's T&C? It took me three attempts and I was searching for it.

If it wasn't for the Marston Moretaine Eco-Town Action Group leafleting the area, virtually no one would have been aware of it.

There is not significantly less opposition to an eco-town in Mid Bedfordshire – there is, however, a real desire to ignore local
people and ride roughshod over democracy locally.

And by the way– don't forget at least one incinerator in Rookery Pit South is integral to the proposal.

Mr Stewart Long
Secretary, MMETAG

Area hallmarked for social experiment

SIR – In response to the eco-town article last week, I felt compelled to write. Housing minister Caroline Flint and her Westminster cronies are blatantly ignoring local opinion about the proposed eco-town opposition. It appears that Marston Vale has already been hallmarked for a social experiment.

Caroline Flint, please pin your ears back. We do not need 10 to 15,000 extra houses on top of those already planned. We do not need fields being taken over for more warehousing and we do not want to live in a town.

What we do want is to be able to live in a village and function successfully as a community as we have done for over 1,000 years. I wonder, is Marston Moretaine's voice being ignored by the lack of a celebrity spokesperson and by the effect of having a local authority in major change? Bedfordshire will slowly become a suburb of Milton Keynes if this eco-nonsense goes ahead.

I urge all those opposed to the eco-town development to write to Caroline Flint.

C Rolfe
Marston Moretaine

Government should listen to the people

SIR – I was appalled to read that the government states that there is no opposition to an eco-town in Marston Vale. I personally moved to Marston Moretaine three years ago for a long-awaited, quiet country life.

I know it is strongly felt that an eco-town here would be a blight on the countryside and if more housing is required, spend the money renovating all the vacant properties which exist within the Bedford area.

Our roads and lifestyle just cannot accommodate more commuters, more traffic, and the rest. There would be no jobs for the new residents which would mean they will have to commute – not very 'eco'!
Why does the government not listen to the people instead of
riding roughshod over us all as if we are insignificant?

J Howard, by email