Riverside North Selection Jury Meets

I chaired the all-party selection jury for the Riverside North developer at Borough Hall on Wednesday, as we received presentations from short-listed developers. The Riverside North project will be a mixed use retail, leisure and residential project encompassing the area currently occupied by the Town Hall Office Block, the neighbouring Riverside House building and Horne Lane Car Park. The developers outlined the site's potential and their credentials for delivering the project. The jurors' scores are being collated before an announcement on the selected development partner for the project is announced in the coming week. I must emphasise that the decision to be taken next week following the presentations is to select a developer, not a final scheme. Once the appointment is made, extensive public consultation will follow to ensure that residents are able to have their say as the plans for the development take shape. Indeed, a commitment to real engagement with local residents is something we were very keen to

'Scores on the Doors' Scheme In Evidence Around Town

A while ago my Cabinet colleagues and I introduced a new scheme for all restaurants and food outlets in the Borough whereby their food hygiene inspection rating is published online, along with full details of their inspection. The restaurants themselves can also display a poster they are presented with, advertising their hygiene rating. It's not compulsory that they do so, but I've been pleased to notice around town the first few restaruants to start displaying the posters in their window. It shows that they regard high standards of hygiene as a badge of honour, and know that potential customers will appreciate the peace of mind that comes with it. I was only at the launch event a few weeks ago, and it's great to see it already becoming a feature of the local restaurant trade. There's more information about the scheme, together with links through to all the food hygiene information about restaurants that you will need, here on the Council's website: http://www.bedford.gov.uk/environment_and_planning/env_healt

Pints in the Parishes is Coming Back - Would Your Local Like to Host One?

Throughout my first, short term as Mayor until the elections in May this year I got out and about around the Borough as much as possible in order to be as accessible as possible to local residents in all our communities, and I intend to carry on in this manner over the next four years. As part of these efforts to be open and accessible I embarked on a series of 'Pints in the Parishes' events to enable direct, ongoing contact with the Borough's rural residents in an informal setting, and I am now relaunching this initiative. Next week I will be writing to each of the Borough's Parish Councils asking them if they would like to nominate a local pub in their area which would be happy host the event in their parish. However, if you like the sound of a Pints in the Parishes evening and know of a local rural pub which would be happy to host one, you don't have to leave it to your local parish council. Please let me know! As before, I will be drawing the names out of a hat to determine the order in which the visits t

Worried Residents Make their Voices Heard at Covanta Protest

Anti Street Clutter Campaign Gets Off to Flying Start as Over 100 Signs Are Removed

St Cuthbert's Hall

I recently visited St Cuthbert's Hall in Castle, which has been taken on by a volunteer group set up with the purpose of securing it as a community facility after it was made available for rent. The hall is located on the one-way gyratory around St Cuthbert's Church at the junction of Newnham Street/St Cuthbert's Street/Mill Street. Castle Community Society beat off commercial competition to obtain the lease after a remarkable fundraising effort, which took place against the clock. Rob Price and John Lucas, who showed me round the hall, are local residents who formed the society and drummed up a vast amount of support in a matter of days. As they showed me round they discussed their vision for the hall and the potential they see in it as a sustainable, ongoing community facility run by local people. They recognise the huge challenge they face, but the impressive start to life of the Castle Community Society and the local support which has rallied round are certainly very hopeful beginnings. They are looking f