Houghton Regis News Desk

Updated 2 March 2020

The Secretary of State for Education, in mutual agreement with the Trust, has now made the substantive and final decision to proceed to the closure of Houghton Regis Academy.  However, in order to reduce the impact of the closure,  a proposed closure transition plan has been agreed to which means the Academy will remain open for some year groups until 31 August 2022.

There will now be a ‘listening period’. The listening period is an opportunity for stakeholders and interested parties such as pupils, parents and staff to be provided with more information about the proposed closure process. It is also an opportunity for stakeholders to submit their views on how the process can best be managed. This period started today, 28 February, and will end at 5pm on 27 March 2020.

Parkside ward Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) councillor said, “I am aware of the concern the current position will be causing pupils, parents and the wider community at Houghton Regis. I am worki…

Following the 2015 Outline Application CB/15/00297/OUT for up to 1,850 residential dwellings, Storey Homes have submitted their details for 109 of those homes on a plot west of Bedford Road.

Schedule Registration (Validation) Date:20 / 02 / 2020
Consultation Start Date:20 / 02 / 2020
Earliest Decision Date (Consultation Period Expires):25 / 03 / 2020
Target Date for Decision:21 / 05 / 2020

HRN2 Scheme The bigger application also includes outline plans for 2-forms-of-entry Primary School, employment land, local centre comprising retail and community/leisure uses, the layout of public open spaces including sports pitches and changing rooms, natural wildlife areas and all associated works and operations including engineering operations and earthworks.


Storey Homes Storey Homes was established in 2003 and remains a family-owned property developer based in Milton Keynes. They are creating unique developments throughout Milton Keynes and across the Northern Home Counties, aiming to offer …

If you’ve yet to get your nominations in for this year’s Cheering Volunteering awards then don’t worry, you still have time.

The awards are a chance to thank the many volunteers and voluntary organisations across Central Bedfordshire for the often-unheralded work which they do to help others in their community.

There are six different categories in which you can nominate people and you have until 20 April 2020 to do so.
Young Volunteer of the Year Volunteer of the Year Volunteer Group of the Year Outstanding Contribution Lifetime Achievement Sports and Wellbeing Volunteer of the Year The winners will be announced at the awards and celebration evening at the Grove Theatre, in Dunstable, on Thursday, 4 June.

Free tickets are available for what promises to be a great evening’s entertainment, and which will again be compered by Billy Lee, the world's greatest Tom Jones tribute act.

The event is organised by Central Bedfordshire Council, working in partnership with the Volunteer Centre…

New Homes: Carbon Emissions and Energy Efficiency

Housing, Communities and Local Government – in the House of Commons on 24th February 2020.



Andrew Selous, The Second Church Estates Commissioner): What steps he is taking to (a) reduce carbon emissions and (b) improve energy efficiency in new homes.

Christopher Pincher, Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government): Welcome back, Mr Speaker, and welcome particularly to our new Chaplain.

Homes account for about a fifth of emissions. Driving these down and improving energy efficiency are crucial to fulfilling our commitments to net zero carbon by 2050. We have committed to introducing a future homes standard by 2025, and we will respond shortly to the 3,000 or so responses to our consultation—it closed on 7 February—which proposes carbon emissions at least 75% lower from 2025.

Andrew Selous: British architects such as Bill Dunster are building competitively priced, zero energy bill homes today that not only emit no carbon…

5,150 homes were approved for the Linmere site north of Houghton Regis in Outline Application CB/12/03613/OUT. Last week a further tranche of building plans for 309 dwellings for Barratt Homes were revealed in a reserved matter planning application number CB/20/00449/RM. Registration (Validation) Date:17 / 02 / 2020
Consultation Start Date:17 / 02 / 2020
Earliest Decision Date (Consultation Period Expires):19 / 03 / 2020
Target Date for Decision:18 / 05 / 2020

These homes will be accessed from a new road already constructed off Sundon Road, and from a roundabout constructed at the time the Woodside Link was built. Of these 309 private dwellings, 31 are classed as affordable. The stated density is  54.3  D/Ha.  On the perimeter of this site, building heights will be 3, 4 or 5 storeys high, with 1, 2 and 2.5 storeys in the middle.


A proposed bus route is expected to run along Sundon Road, to the southeast of the application parcels,  and then along  School  Road  (to be delivered by ot…

Climate Change was brought to a meeting of Central Bedfordshire Council on Thursday, 20 February. Four members of the public asked questions on climate change.

Miss Palmer thought CBC's climate change plan last year was a step in the right direction but asked for consideration of an ecologocical crisis, too, and requested that the council do less mowing of grass verges. Mrs French asked for budgetary expenditure to be measured so we can find out what our carbon use is now. Mr Wise produced a bucket with a whip in it along with a verbal report of example of planting over 1,000 trees in the past 8 years. Mr Sandford passed on Andrew Selous, MP's concern that modern built houses will need modifying in the future when gas fired heating is phased out. Councillor Dixon responded. WATCH THE VIDEO

Council - Thursday, 20th February 2020 at 6:30pm - Central Bedfordshire Council Webcasting

Councillor Caroline Maudlin (top picture) introduced a motion calling for money to be spent on tree-…

20 February 2020 20:50 - Councillors at tonight's CBC Council meeting approved a Council Tax Resolution which means that the following council tax rates for 2020/21 will apply. The meeting was broadcast live at 6.30pm 20 February 2020 by CBC Webcasting, and will be available later on that link once the webcast has concluded.

The budget also includes the application of an Adult Social Care precept, which will see a 2% increase in Council Tax specifically to fund adult care services and an increase of 1.95% to contribute towards funding of other services.
Council - Thursday, 20th February 2020 at 6:30pm - Central Bedfordshire Council Webcasting

Anyone wishing to follow the meeting can find the documents for the meeting online at CBC website.


Council Tax requirement for Central Bedfordshire Council’s own purposes for 2020/21(excluding Parish precepts) is calculated as £163,999,578.  Town and Parishes raise money from council tax to pay for such things as events, public grounds maintena…

Bedfordshire Police is issuing a fraud warning after a number of Bedfordshire residents fell victim to a scam, with one losing their entire life savings.

Action Fraud has reported that the scam was first reported in October 2019 and since has cost the victims more than £1 million.

The scam is carried out by phone call, with the victim receiving an automated phone message that they have been charged for an Amazon Prime subscription.

How It Works They are subsequently instructed to ‘press 1’ to cancel the transaction. When they do this, they are directed to a fraudster posing as an Amazon customer service representative.

The fraudster advises the victim that their subscription was purchased fraudulently and that remote access to their computer is required in order to fix a security flaw that will prevent it from reoccurring.

The unsuspecting victim then downloads software which grants the scammers remote access to their computer, including personal and financial information.

Other vari…

Registration is now open for this year’s Restart A Heart Day!❤️

Secondary schools in our region can sign up for our staff and volunteers to come to them and teach lifesaving CPR skills to their students.

Sign up today




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