Bedford Borough Council has promised to engage with residents to understand how best to support them, following the latest public meeting hosted by East West Rail.
The organisation, which is building a rail link between Oxford and Cambridge with Bedford at its centre, held a public meeting on Thursday 6 November where both officers and members from Bedford Borough Council attended the event.
Tom Wootton, Mayor of Bedford Borough admits he has been underwhelmed by East West Rail’s (EWR) conduct both before and after the meeting. This ranges from EWR’s failure to share information before the meeting, including the agenda and slideshow presentation, to still not telling the Council its rationale for demolishing 53 businesses and homes along Ashburnham Road, including a GP surgery and Polish social club Dom Polski.
Mayor Tom said; “The Council supports the East West Rail link. The Council sees the benefits of the East West Rail link. But our priority is always to support our residents, and East West Rail needs to start winning back their trust.
“It’s now three months since East West Rail announced it wanted to demolish a further 10 properties in Ashburnham Road – that’s 53 businesses and homes – and we still don’t have their documented rationale for needing to do so having previously promised that all of these properties were safe and outside of the red line.
“The community doesn’t need uncertainty, it needs clarity and answers.”
Thursday’s meeting also saw residents highlight other issues with East West Rail, including a phone information line not working, while the organisation’s bosses admitted refused to rule out further changes to impacted properties.
There are also unanswered questions over a proposed temporary car park for Bedford Hospital, including its size and location.
Mayor Tom said; “We want to be a critical friend to East West Rail. Our goal is to work closely with them to find the best outcome for everybody.
“But we will now be speaking to affected residents and businesses to ensure that their voices are heard throughout this process. I can promise them they will have the Council’s full support.”