Welcome to MMAG (formerly MMETAG)

MMAG response to EERA

nicolarr — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:23:46 +0000

Please Click Here to view MMAG’s detailed response to
EERA East of England Plan 2031

Parish Council response to EERA

nicolarr — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:24:10 +0000

Please Click Here to view Marston Moreteyne’s Parish Council’s response to EERA East of England Plan 2031

Email to new Mayor of Bedford

nicolarr — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:32:29 +0000

MMAG has contacted Dave Hodgson following his election as the new Mayor of Bedford

Email to Dave Hodgson;

Congratulations from the Marston Moreteyne Action Group (MMAG) on your election as the new Mayor of Bedford.

MMAG is a non political group of volunteers who have combined together to protect their distinctive rural communities in the Marston Vale from being swamped by urbanisation and as such are playing an active part in the consultation over the revised East of England Plan. We are also very engaged in opposing the plans by Covanta to build an enormous Energy from Waste Plant in Rookery Pit which apart from the offensive visual impact will turn Bedfordshire into a hub for incinerating the waste of much of the Midlands and the East of England and beyond ! More details of what we are about can be found on our website www.mmetag.com

We had excellent lines of communications with your predecessor – whose office very helpfully participated in our Marston Vale Conference held earlier this year – and we look forward very much to working with you. As neighbours we share the Marston Vale and your commitment to building a sustainable future for all our communities.

Hugh Roberts
Chair
MMAG

Artist’s Impression of Proposed Convanta Plant

nicolarr — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:34:43 +0000

Please Click Here to View an Artist’s Impression of what the Proposed Convanta Energy from Waste Plant at Rookery Pit might look like viewed from Ampthill Hill.

Nadine Dorries hosts Public Meeting

nicolarr — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:17:12 +0000

Nadine Dorries MP hosts Public Meeting on Tourism and the Environment in Mid Bedfordshire -Saturday 26 September 14.00 -16.00
Marston Vale Forest Centre

Nadine has asked MMAG to help advertise this event which we will be attending:

“Dear All

You may remember I recently asked you to keep a date in order to attend the re-arranged public meeting on Tourism and the Environment in Mid-Bedfordshire. This meeting will be held at Marston Vale Forest Centre and the date has now been confirmed for Saturday 26 September 14.00 -16.00.

I would like to set out the aims and objectives of the meeting and do hope that you will be able to attend. As an MP, I am asked by many individuals, groups of individuals and organisations across the constituency, to represent their views with regard to development within Mid Bedfordshire.

Sometimes, the views of one group may conflict with those of another. There are many people within Bedfordshire who feel very strongly about what happens within the area they have chosen to live in order to move away from the urban sprawl of London, Bedford, Milton Keynes and many other parts of the country.

This was demonstrated by the number of people who contributed to the Parish Plan process, and who turned up to village and town halls, in order to let their views be known.

Unfortunately, The East of England Regional Assembly recently published a report announcing the intention of developers to build up 120,000 homes within Mid Bedfordshire. It is difficult to imagine that the village/town plan consultation process was even considered in the compilation of this report. Many residents and groups became angry at this news, not least myself.

I have always supported the idea of Mid Bedfordshire attaining its economic growth targets through tourism, as opposed to via industry or development.

Mid Bedfordshire remains the loveliest part of Bedfordshire with many jewels in its crown. Unfortunately the recent proposed eco-town development and other additional proposed developments would create an urban sprawl across Mid Beds from Milton Keynes, through Ampthill, Flitwick, Harlington and down as far as Sundon.

Our task is to ensure that we retain our unique character and advantage. It is not going to be easy; and if the last four years have taught me anything, it is that the effort will need to be co-coordinated and sustained.

Having witnessed the commitment of local groups in fighting off the proposed Eco Town, I am convinced that together, along with locally elected representatives, parish councils and campaign groups, we can organise ourselves into an effective constituency-wide force to be reckoned with.

The meeting will be chaired by former High Sheriff of Bedford and my own local Chairman, Cllr Andy Rayment. I have invited the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government Iain Wright MP and the Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps MP to speak on a panel along with Cllr Tricia Turner, leader of Central Bedfordshire Council.

Members of the panel will each make a short presentation and then the floor will open up for questions. I will then close the meeting by asking people to assist me in forming three committees, Environment, Westminster Forum, and Tourism. I will then seek advice to register each committee as an official amenities group for the purpose of planning consultation.

Over the next twelve months, I would like the role of all three committees to concentrate on developing a united purpose and vision for Mid Bedfordshire, based upon the opinions and views of local people; what is best for the environment; and in achieving objectives commensurate with Mid Bedfordshire as an area with high tourism value.

Obviously, as an MP who struggles to find enough hours in each day as it is, my job will be as facilitator and receiver.

The meeting on September 26th will be an important first step. As there are limited places available, I would be grateful if you could RSVP to dorriesn@parliament.uk to accept or decline the invitation.

Yours,
Nadine Dorries MP
Member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire

EERA Targets Bedfordshire for Housing Growth

nicolarr — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:52:35 +0000

The East of England Regional Assembly has revised its projected new house building figures up from 510,000 to potentially 680,000 with Bedfordshire top of the hit list for substantial growth. The Marston Vale continues to be quoted despite successful political and community blocking of the misguided 20,000 homes ‘eco-town’.

MMAG considers EERA’s latest pronouncement fatally flawed:

EERA projections are reliant on central government statistics – so much for local people deciding what housing is needed.
The future of the EERA is uncertain and their relevance is therefore questionable.
Local authorities are already meeting targets for local housing need and are struggling to build extra housing, the Wixams being a case in point. Has EERA not notice there is a recession?
It is unclear who this extra housing is for? Once again housing need elsewhere is being imported into Bedfordshire’s shrinking countryside.

MMAG welcomes the opportunity to encourage a more rational approach to meeting future housing need where local people have a real influence over the future of their landscape

Hugh Roberts, Chair of MMAG said:

“EERA has stated publicly that they want local communities to be engaged in the debate and to influence where the new housing allocations go. MMAG will continue to represent our community and remind EERA that our arguments against the ill conceived ‘eco-town’ were sound and stand close scrutiny for any large scale development. This country needs agriculture land to feed us; village communities have the right not to be forced into large scale urban communities and there is no sound argument for joining up Bedford with Milton Keynes into one New Town through housing growth in the Marston Vale”

Note to Editors:

The MMETAG was formed on June 24^th 2008 to organise opposition to the eco-towns and has no political affiliations.
MMEATG re-launched as Marston Moreteyne Action Group (MMAG) on 19^th April 2009
Media representation welcome (ring 01234 768 575)

Relauched – Refocused!

nicolarr — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:20:21 +0000

Dear Supporters

Thank you all for your ongoing support, emails and ideas. The threat of O&H’s so called ‘eco-town’ really brought us together and showed what we can achieve when our community is under threat. The Marston Vale continues to be the focus of unwarranted interested from developers with scant regard or interest in local communities, village life or rural landscapes.

The Marston Moretaine Eco Town Action Group was formerly relaunched as the Marston Moreteyne Action Group (MMAG) at our successful April conference. We will continue to monitor the regional planning process both within the East of England and the South Midlands planning arenas as O&H are very clear they intend to return with most likely very similar new town proposals to their previous ‘eco-town’ proposals. Keep checking our website (Name unchanged) www.MMETAG.com for updates.

In addition, we remain concerned that the incinerator plans for Rookery Pit are unclear, have failed to engage the community in open and early debate and have led to a new large scale proposal for an incinerator by private operator Covanta which may well include transporting waste into the area from Buckinghamshire and elsewhere. Please click here for to read their letter to local residents and details of the exhibitions.

You can leave a message for us by: clicking here to open the suggestion box ,click here to email us or by commenting on this post at the bottom of the page. Tell us your views about the plans for Rookery Pit South. Remember, current plans do not utilise the whole site. Anything that is approved will by default create planning precedent on the whole site. We’ve had Europe’s largest landfill site at Brogborough – what now! Europe’s largest site for incinerators?

Your Action Group will continue to fight to preserve our rural environment and village life. Click here to email us if you have some time to offer to get more involved in the activities of the group.

Hugh Roberts
Chair
MMAG

Energy from Waste Proposals are Rubbish!

nicolarr — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:33:13 +0000

Press Release

Marston Moreteyne Action Group (MMAG) has called upon Bedfordshire’s political leadership to meet urgently with community groups and Parish Councils to discuss the ramifications of the Energy from Waste plant proposed for Rookery Pit South by Covanta Energy.

Covanta has announced a series of exhibitions to be held throughout the Marston Vale, the initial dates giving just a weeks’ notice to local communities:

Friday 10 July	Stewartby	2 pm – 8 pm
Saturday 11 July	Parkside Hall Ampthill	10 am – 6 pm
Sunday 12 July	Houghton Conquest Village Hall	10 am – 6 pm
Friday 14 August	Millbrook Village Hall	12 pm – 8 pm
Saturday 15 August	Marston Vale Forest Centre	10 am – 6 pm
Sunday 16 August	Wooton Memorial Hall	10 am – 6 pm

MMAG believes a number of issues need addressing including:

How far down the track are Bedfordshire’s unitary authorities in relation to this and other proposals for Rookery Pit?
The potential scale of the plant importing waste from outside Bedfordshire to achieve maximum efficiency.
The loss forever of a rural landscape and its environmental impact with increased traffic to and from the site.
Whether the proposal will act as a magnet for the complete industrialisation of Rookery Pit South?
The reference to providing surplus heat to NIRAH and the Wixams
Will the ‘green electricity’ be free?

Hugh Roberts, Chair of MMAG said:

“The Marston Vale is now able to breathe clean air with the closure of Brogborough Landfill site and Stewartby brickworks. Who knows what we will breathe coming out of the incinerator chimney”

Note to Editors:

 The MMETAG was formed on June 24th 2008 to organise opposition to the eco-towns and has no political affiliations.

 MMEATG re-launched as Marston Moreteyne Action Group (MMAG) on 19th April 2009

 Media representation welcome (ring 01234 768 575)

MMETAG Conference Programme

nicolarr — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:43:24 +0000

The Programme for the MMETAG Conference 18th April 2009 has been finalised and is now available to view – Please Click Here.

MMETAG Conference

nicolarr — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:03:14 +0000

Marston Vale – 2050 - Your Vision for the Future

The Marston Moretaine Action Group is delighted to invite you and (many others) to a conference on Saturday, April 18th (times tbc) in the Forest Centre when alongside all the other Action Groups / Community Organisations we will begin to design a Peoples Vision of what the Marston Vale should look like in 2050.

The scope of the conference is ambitious, forward looking, seeks to build on our recent success and reflects the desire of our communities that we continue to defend our distinctive village way of life. The conference will be a further opportunity for those communities within the Marston Vale to make their views known about the future. We know there is no shortage of plans, frameworks, regional spatial strategies or announcements from on high emphasising the need for economic regeneration and future housing needs. We also know many of these plans are couched in terms / jargon that alienate / disempower local people. So having been the voice for our communities within the Marston Vale we mustn’t shut up. We remain an area targeted for development and we could be presented with further proposals for New Towns / Science Parks / Energy from Waste Plants. We are of course moving into new municipal territory with the Central Beds Unitary Authority which will include substantial urban neighbourhoods like Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard / Linslade and it’s important that we build relationships and make new friends.

The conference will begin with the judging of the Marston Vale Photo Competition by a panel including His Grace the Duke of Bedford (click here for more information) and there will be some guest speakers with plenty of time for audience participation.

We shouldn’t expect our conference to produce a comprehensive detailed plan but now the pressure for the eco town is off it would be useful for all the Action Groups to have a debate about what we are ‘for’ as ‘against’. There is a need for an intelligent conversation about the future which balances the desire for conservation and future economic needs. It has been suggested that Marston Vale should aim for National Forest status – if that was ever realised how would housing need be met ? These and many other questions should ensure a lively debate. There is also an aspiration that as representatives of our communities we arrive at ‘one voice for the Vale’; we may have to be content with ensuring ‘every’ voice is heard and that is why your participation in the conference will be so welcome.

Please see below for an outline agenda – once the final speakers are confirmed together with times the information will be update on the website.

We expect the conference to be well subscribed and places are limited. We look forward to seeing you there.

Kind regards

Hugh Roberts
Chair

MMETAG
www.MMETAG.com

Draft outline of Conference Agenda

1. Welcome and Introduction

2. A Community Heard

3. Communities Designing their Future

Q&A Session

4. Demystifying Planning – the Planning Challenges & Context

5. Conservation and Economic Development in the Marston Vale – Mutually Exclusive?

Q&A Session

6. Bedford Borough Regeneration and the Northern Marston Vale – A shared future?

7. Milton Keynes – Future Shape?

Q&A Session

8. Conclusions and Next Steps