Green Belt Land in Bedford

Tuedsay 5th December, 2006

Up to 43,000 homes could spring up in the South Beds and Luton area by 2031 due to plans for a house building boom. The plans have sparked a vital conference on the South Bedfordshire Green Belt.

Green Belt boundaries to the north and east of Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, and around Leighton-Linslade, need to be reviewed in light of the government's housing growth plans, according to an important strategy document.

Now more than 200 people, including councillors, landowners and representatives from various groups, have gathered for a conference at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park to hear expert speakers and give their views about how a Green Belt review should be carried out.

The document, which said there was a need for a review of the green belt boundaries, was the Milton Keynes South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy.

Victoria Harvey, of the South Beds branch of Friends of the Earth, told the conference: "The government's plans are both a challenge and a warning for us at a local level.

"If done well, we can create something wonderful that will really enhance and support our town centres, dramatically improve our quality of life and really improve our local countryside.

"It is a question of working together and pooling resources. We really need to work in partnership, seize the opportunity and look to the future."

Information put together at the conference will be used in drawing up a draft paper, looking at the role and the function of the South Beds Green Belt during and after the housing growth.