East West Rail: Residents urged to share their views on what they want to see in Bedford Council's response to the consultation

Bedford Borough Council is holding two virtual meetings to hear views from residents and businesses on what they wish to see in the council’s response to the current East West Rail Company consultation.

This consultation covers a number of different areas including route alignment into, through and out of Bedford Borough, stations and level crossings.

During the meetings, there will be a presentation and a question and answer session with Mayor Dave Hodgson, councillor Michael Headley and the chief officer for planning and infrastructure development at the council on what attendees believe should be in the council’s response.

These meetings will take place on Wednesday, May 12, from 12pm till 2pm and Thursday, May 13, from 6.30pm till 8.30pm.

Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions these meetings will be held virtually via the council’s virtual committee meeting system and they will be streamed live on YouTube.

Due to the nature of virtual meetings, questions and comments will need to be submitted in advance of the meeting- via email to [email protected].

All questions and comments will need to be submitted by 8am on Friday, May 7.

Due to the level of interest anticipated, it is unlikely that everyone that submits a question will be able to take part.

All the questions and comments received by the deadline will be collated and a selection of people will be invited to speak at the meeting, with a time limit of three minutes each, to ensure as many points are covered as possible, in an organised and efficient way.

Any questions that are not addressed due to time restrictions will receive a written response.

People watching live on YouTube will also be able to submit comments via [email protected] and via the council's dedicated online form.

The virtual meetings will not form a consultation response in themselves but will be a listening exercise on behalf of the council.

To have your say in the East West Rail consultation, residents, businesses and interested parties must reply directly to the East West Rail Company.

A Bedford Borough Council spokesperson said “We are hosting these public meetings to help ensure that we hear residents’ voices on what they would like to see in our consultation response to this East West Rail Company consultation.

“Please submit your questions and comments, and watch the meetings to find out more about our emerging thoughts on this crucial issue for the future of Bedford Borough.

“These public meetings are not a replacement for the consultation being run by the East West Rail Company or a way to have your say in the consultation itself, but a listening exercise for the council as we put our consultation response together.

“Please visit www.eastwestrail.co.uk to attend their public events to find out more information about the proposals and have your say directly to the East West Rail Company.”

If you are not able to attend the meeting, there is also a form available on the council website where you can let the council know your views.