South West Bedfordshire MP, Andrew Selous, has written to the Central Bedfordshire Council planning officer to object in the strongest terms planning application, CB/23/00817/FULL in order to save the Leighton Buzzard Garden centre.
Andrew Selous MP commented,
“If any constituents are also concerned about the impact of the planning application leading to the closure of Leighton Buzzard Garden Centre and would like to submit a comment during the current consultation period, they can do so through the link below.”
Central Bedfordshire Council Planning Pages
Dear Madam,
Planning application, CB/23/00817/FULL
I write again to object to this planning application in the strongest possible terms. I believe it contravenes national planning policy framework section 8 paragraph 93. The closure of the five businesses affected would result in the loss of 50 local jobs, including 3 apprenticeships, if the affected businesses were not able to find other suitable premises in the local area quickly.
In the last month, the Tree of Life café took 1936 orders and the garden centre made 3597 sales during the same period. During the working week roughly 3/4 of the customers to the Tree of Life café or elderly or disabled, and there are very few such facilities on this side of town.
I contended that they would be there for a significant and unacceptable loss of social, recreational and cultural facilities and services to the local community. Leighton Buzzard and Linslade is a town full of beautiful gardens and there will be considerable additional congestion on our roads and greenhouse gas emissions emitted if local people have to travel much further to get the plants they need for their gardens. The site also affords older and disabled people ample parking and easy access to the café, which is not always available elsewhere in the town
I would please ask you to reject this application to allow these five valued and much use local businesses to continue serving the people of the town.
Kind regards,
Andrew Selous
Member of Parliament for SW Bedfordshire