This plan is an official document that the council has to approve and sets out the development of the area of Central Bedfordshire for twenty years between 2011 and 2031. It proposes the need for an additional 31,000 homes in the area over this time, including land north of Houghton Regis, north of Luton and east of Leighton Buzzard. We calculate that this will lead to the loss of about five sq miles of Green Belt land. Much of this development is planned for people moving into the area from Luton, as well as people moving in from the home counties and London.

CPRE Bedfordshire has serious concerns about the sustainability of the local plan, particularly in the areas of transport and congestion, as well as concerns about jobs and pressures on the countryside. This revised version of CBC's draft local plan was made available in June early this year, with the public being invited to respond to a consultation on it by August 26th. The planning inspector is due to examine the document sometime in 2015.