Lib Dems Warn Against Design Flop Danger (North Bedfordshire Liberal Democrats)

North Bedfordshire Liberal Democrats <bedford@bedfordlibdems.org>

Lib Dems Warn Against Design Flop Danger

January 16, 2004 4:05 PM

Lib Dems on Bedford Borough Council have issued a stern warning over the use of tax payers money to fund a £100,000 design competition.

The competition will seek to find imaginative suggestions as to how the Castle Lane area of Bedford can be improved with no limits as to what the plans can include. But the Lib Dems are worried that there is a serious risk that £100,000 could be spent organising the competition with out any suitable designs being found.

Speaking on the issue Lib Dem group Leader Michael Headley said:

"£100,000 is a lot to spend on a design competition. We want to see Castle Lane improved and turned into an attractive area Bedford can be proud of but there is no guarantee that spending all this money will benefit the area at all. As it stands there is no real framework to assist the designs so we could get all sorts of designs which just wouldn't be suitable for the area."

"The mayor himself has admitted that there maybe no winner for the competition in which case the £100,000 will have been wasted. This is tax payers money and should be spent wisely not thrown away without a thought. The future of Castle Lane needs to be thought through properly with projects that will really enhance the area and fit in with the town centre as a whole."

"There is tremendous potential for Castle Lane but lets not see it turned into Bedford's White Elephant. I welcome imaginative ideas but £100,000 is a lot of money to spend just on ideas if they come to nothing. What is needed are properly thought out projects by developers with a brief that will bring rejuvenation to the whole area that isn't paid for out of tax payers pockets."

The future of the design competition will be discussed at tonight's Full Council meeting.