Houghton Regis News Desk

EEAST took over 2700 emergency calls on Christmas Day. The NHS trust service says that calls typically ranged from chest pains, illnesses, falls, choking, assaults and births. Only around 30% of patients attended were life-threatening, including cardiac arrest, suspected stroke, or serious wounds. Rob Ashford, Acting Director of Service Delivery, said: “Whilst it’s encouraging we’ve seen a slight decrease in the number of calls compared to the same period last year, we’re still seeing an increase each Christmas Day. Our staff are working as hard as ever over the period and I’m proud of all those who have been carrying out lifesaving work for the Trust over the past few days. From our call handlers, to the crews out on the roads, and everyone else - I’d like to say a huge thank you to them all. “We will continue to be under pressure over the weekend and into next week, with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day typically being our busiest days of the year. So we’re urging members of the p

Visit Santa: £2.50, Santa Grotto, Door admission: Adults 50p, Children free Poster: http://images.pitchero.com/ui/203075/1386702768_0.jpg Email tracy-drufc@live.co.uk

Recent changes in housing law, introduced by the Localism Act 2011, have given councils more freedom to determine who can apply for council and Housing Association housing and how applications will be treated. A draft Allocations Policy has been developed, which proposes a number of changes. The Allocations Policy governs who can apply to the housing register; the size of the property for which a person can apply and the priority for housing that applicants have in relation to one another. Have Your Say now: http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/surveys/AllocationsPolicy/allocationspolicy.htm

The new scheme to be built on the ‘Dukeminster’ site off Church Street, Dunstable, by the side of the busway, is going to be called Priory View. This was the name chosen by tenants, members of the public and Council staff via an online poll. Priory View will be the first of several developments for older people which Central Bedfordshire Council will bring to fruition over the coming years. It will offer 83 apartments for affordable rental and shared ownership and will have care and support available on site 24/7. In addition, it will have a number of communal facilities such as a café/restaurant, hair and beauty salon, hobby rooms and a shop. Many of these facilities will be open to the general public. The contract for the build has now been awarded and the winning contractor, Galliford Try, will start work in the New Year. Eligible criteria is being worked out for who can apply, but it is intended for single people or couples aged 55+ who may need some support to remain ind

Central Bedfordshire Council’s Travel Choices Hub in Dunstable is helping festive party-goers avoid drink-driving this Christmas by offering pre-paid tickets for travel with Arriva on Luton and Dunstable Busway services. The tickets are valid for one return journey on the busway which serves Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Luton town centres. They can be collected from the Travel Hub in Ashton Square, Dunstable where Travel Advisors can also help you plan your journey. The tickets can be used not only for evenings out but also for the 'morning after' when revellers may still be affected by alcohol. According to research by road safety charity Brake, many people fail to understand that they may still be under the influence of alcohol the day after a night-out. One unit of alcohol takes the body an hour to break down. A person drinking three large (250ml) glasses of wine (15% alcohol) in an evening who stops drinking at midnight would not be alcohol-free for 13 h

Guns Stolen During Houghton Regis Burglary Bedfordshire Police are appealing for information from the public after two firearms were stolen from a house in Yew Street, Houghton Regis on Tuesday, December 10. The .22 rim fire rifle with a laminate brown wood stock which had a 3-9 x 50 Hawk telescopic sight in a Carlos camouflage sling and an air rifle were taken from the property during a burglary which happened between 4.50pm and 7.50pm when the front door was forced open. The officer in charge of this investigation, Detective Constable Simon Day, is keen to trace anyone who may have been offered these items for sale or anyone who witnessed someone acting suspiciously in the Yew Street area of Houghton Regis last week. Anyone with information relating to this investigation can contact Detective Constable Simon Day, in confidence, at Luton Police Station, on 01582 394449, or Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011. Alternatively you can contact the ind

Houghton Regis Heritage Society raises the roof…. An amazing night was had by all who attended the first party event staged by HRHS . More than 100 people turned out at St Vincents Social Club to participate in a 40’s/50’s  fancy dress (optional) party on Saturday 7th December. Fiona Harrison , 'the voice in a million', entertained them wearing costumes of the period and singing songs from the era. Many of the guests turned out in fancy dress to add to the atmosphere of the evening. The audience sang and danced , and by the end of the night left with smiles and promises of returning to the next Event. The HRHS believes heritage can be fun and not just Talks, Museums, and old buildings. It’s the past and the future they are interested in….Change, preservation, your roots, even fashion….heritage covers so much. At the November bi-monthly meeting some awesome tales of life in the fifties and sixties were told by some of the Houghton Regis residents, and of thei

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Central Bedfordshire Neighbourhood Watch  GETTING INVOLVED Neighbourhood Watch is a group of residents who join together to help protect themselves and their properties from criminal activity, to reduce the fear of crime and to improve their local environment. Their primary objective is to look out for one another and report any crime or suspicious activity to the Police. By working together as a group, rather than as individuals, households can employ effective crime prevention measures and achieve safer communities to live in. Learn about: • Becoming a member of Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) • How to set up a new Neighbourhood Watch Street Scheme • Role of Neighbourhood Watch Street Coordinators and Members • Neighbourhood Watch - Working together • Neighbourhood Watch - Working with partners • Getting in touch with the Central Bedfordshire NHW Association Becoming a member of Neighbourhood Watch Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) schemes are community initiatives that ar

02 / 12 / 2013 CB/13/04186/FULL Location: Thornhill Lower School, Grove Road, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, LU5 5PE Proposal: Conversion and extension of existing single-storey store into a Breakfast Club Room 18 / 11 / 2013 CB/13/04003/FULL Location: Houghton Hall, The Green, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, LU5 5DY Proposal: New single-storey staff accommodation building (Renewal of planning permission CB/10/03549/REN) 1 / 11 / 2013 CB/13/03956/FUL Location: 7 & 8 Westbury Close, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, LU5 5BL Proposal: Change of use from light industrial to gymnasium (D2 class use) 08 / 11 / 2013 CB/13/03879/FULL Location: Unit F1, Townsend Farm Road, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, LU5 5BA Proposal: Change of use to D1 for the purpose of a meeting place for the Kids in Action charity to take part in various activities 25 / 10 / 2013 CB/13/03666/REG3 Location: 33 Westbury Close, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, LU5 5BL Proposal: Change of use from light industrial t

In a letter to members, HRLCAG say they are 'excited' and 'confident' about the prospects for the re-opening of the swimming pool in Houghton Regis. Here is the letter, that is in the public domain: "We are now at a crucial stage in the Tender Process for a new 7 year contract covering Houghton Regis, Flitwick, Sandy and Biggleswade Leisure Centres. Two of our committee members, Bruce Hallam and Christine Clavey are working alongside CBC and will now sit in and assess the Tender presentations on Friday 13th.  A decision will then be made as to who CBC will award the contract to. Following all the legal processes we will have a decision announced during the first week of January. Is the pool included in the bid I hear you asking. It has definitely been included as an option... we are so excited. After campaigning since October 2010 we are almost there.  We know that the council have ring-fenced money to cover the re-opening of the pool and re-furbishing the changin

Three Section 59 Notices Issued At Car Cruise Bedfordshire Police have issued three Section 59 notices during another operation aimed at cracking down on nuisance drivers who attend ‘Car Cruises’. Residents living near Foster Avenue, Houghton Regis, had contacted Bedfordshire Police about a significant increase in the number of vehicles that were attending the industrial area and the drivers who were participating in antisocial behaviour. It was believed that over 100 vehicles would regularly attend the location with some driving in a reckless manner by racing, wheel-spinning, and performing “donuts” along the road. Last Sunday (November 24) officer attended Foster Avenue as a ‘Cruise’ was taking place and seized two Vauxhall Astra VXRs as the drivers or vehicles had already been issued with Section 59 notices. On Sunday night (December 1) a smaller operation took place with members of the Local Policing Team and colleagues from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Roads Policin