Bedford Borough Council rejects plans to modify sports and recreational facilities in Wixams

The two reports presented to last night’s Wixams Joint Development Control Committee (Wednesday, October 23) included proposed modifications to the Section 106 legal agreement – whereby developers must offset the impact of a development on a community - governing the development of the Wixams villages.

Speaking to the first proposal to amend the facilities across all four villages, Gemma Davies, a Bedford Borough Council planning officer, said: “There have been a number of objections from members of the local community.

“And objections have also been received from Wixams Parish Council, Stewartby Parish Council, Houghton Conquest Parish Council, and Sport England.

“The objections predominantly relate to the reduction in the facilities without perceived sufficient justification and the impacts of this on health and well-being, sense of community, crime, anti-social behaviour and youth provision.

“Officers have listened to those objections and changes have been made to the proposals to address some of those concerns.

“On balance, these sports, recreation, and play provision will continue to serve a useful purpose with the proposed modifications.

“And would meet the objective of creating a healthy, balanced and sustainable community,” she said.

The modifications involve creating centralised hubs for sports and community activities, reducing some types of sports provisions while increasing others, such as allotment areas, and a new clubhouse.

Leon Staszak, from the Wixams Residents Group, said: “Only one person of the 198 who responded to the main application is in favour.

“These plans are not popular with the community at all.”

Ms Davies said: “There are a lot of stakeholders involved, and often we find one party supports one thing, but it’s contrary to what another party wants.

“So it’s very much a balancing exercise of trying to deliver the right facilities on the land available and that will be fit for purpose, that will be sustainable and managed in the long run,” she said.

Committee members, including councillor Graeme Coombes (Bedford Borough Council), expressed dissatisfaction with the extent of community engagement and the proposed reduction in facilities.

He said: “You need to find out from the people of Wixams, there needs to be that engagement.

“There are a myriad of sports clubs in Wixams, and you need to talk to the sports clubs because they want to have facilities.

“They are bursting at the seams with the lack of facilities.

“Talk to the young people, talk to the sports clubs, talk to Parish Council and Borough Councils.

“Talk to the community groups, talk to the Residents Association, and just get a collective picture.

“You won’t get us all to agree, we’ll all want slightly different things,” he admitted.

“That’s the way forward so that people don’t feel stuff is being done to them.

“People of Wixams feel stuff is done to them, it should be done in collaboration,” he said.

The second proposal, which included replacing the Gateway Park on Fisherwood Road with sports pitches and associated provisions, was also rejected.