A new dawn over Biggleswade
whichever way you come from.

From the east

From the north

From the south west

or from the south.

Biggleswade Town Plan
Have your Say!!

Biggleswade Town Plan Update

Over twelve hundred Biggleswade residents have taken the opportunity to have their say about how the Town could be improved as part of a major consultation exercise by the Biggleswade Town Plan Steering Group.

The steering group comprises of volunteers from the local community, and is managing the Town Plan project on behalf of Biggleswade Town Council, with professional assistance from BRCC (Bedford Rural Communities Charity).

Steering Group Chairman Gerry Lawrence was very pleased with the response.  "I'd like to say a big 'thank you' to all residents who took the time to complete and return the recent questionnaire. Although we had initial distribution problems these were overcome and we achieved an impressive 1220 questionnaires returned.  There was a good spread of age groups with similar numbers of men and women responding. With a response rate of 15% the resulting data is, I'm sure, a good representation of public opinion in the town. There is a lot of interest and some very positive comments about how to improve Biggleswade as a place to live and work."

The Next Step

Residents' responses are now being studied and the next stages are being planned.

Workshops are proposed at which local people and representatives of relevant authorities and organisations will look further at the information collected and work to identify issues, priorities and actions to be taken.

A detailed action plan will then be drafted, which after further community consultation will be finalised and distributed to local authorities and service providers.

A summary of the key findings from the consultation and the planned response will be delivered to every household.

The Town Plan is a document, which will set a positive action agenda both in the short and longer term.  In particular, it is intended that Biggleswade Town Council will adopt the Town Plan as a guide for future decision-making.

If all goes to plan the end result will be a town, which is a better place in which to live and work.

What is a Town Plan?

A Town Plan is a document outlining what the community sees happening over the next few years. It is an opportunity for the whole community to voice their opinion on what action they wish to see taken in their local area. It may include everything that is relevant to the people who live and work in the community. It can include any social, environmental or economic issues.

Who produces the plan?

A group of volunteers from the town have come forward to form the Biggleswade Town Plan Steering Group. The group also incorporates a couple of members of the Town Council and is supported by the Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity.

The objective of the Steering Group is to identify, through consultation, the views held by residents and incorporate these into the Town Plan document.

Any resident in the town may join the group and their help will be welcomed. Click on the "Offer of Help" link above, contact the Steering Group chairman whose details may be found on the Contacts page.

Next meeting of the Steering Group:
7:30pm, Monday 4th January 2010 at Biggleswade Town Hall.

Events to date (most recent first):

• 1st February - Steering Group Meeting
• 4th January 2010 - Steering Group Meeting
• 23rd November - Steering Group Meeting
• 12th October - Steering Group Meeting
• 7th September - Steering Group Meeting
• 18th August - Steering Group Meeting
• 21st July - Steering Group Meeting
• 22nd June - Steering Group Meeting
• 19th May - Steering Group Meeting
• 21st April - Steering Group Meeting
• 11th and 15th April - We held two 'Planning for Real' events for all to come and participate
• 4th April - We had a stall on Biggleswade Market - it was great to talk so many people, thanks for your input.
• 31st March - We were talking to people at Biggleswade railway station early in the morning
• 29th March - We met with members of the Biggleswade and District United Services Association
• 25 March - We met people in the Asda supermarket.
• 16th March - Steering Group meeting
• 5th March - We joined in with The Green Infrastructure Plan drop-in
• 24th February - We met with the Ivel Rangers
  
• 17th February - Steering Group meeting
• 20th January 2009 - Steering Group meeting
• 15 December - Steering Group meeting
• 13 November - The R.A.V.E bus visited Stratton Upper School
• 10th November - Steering Group meeting (no minutes printed)
• 13th October - Steering Group meeting.
• 30th September - Steering Group meeting.
• 20 September - Exhibition and active information gathering at St Andrew's Country Fayre.
• 16 September - Steering Group meeting.
• 19 August - Steering Group meeting.
• 29 July - 1st Steering Group meeting.
• 27 June 2008 - 1st Town Plan public open meeting for the BRCC to present the objective and seek preliminary views.