Future of Caddington bus shelter gridlocked after campaigners on both sides refuse to budge

The brick shelter with a tiled roof is on highways land on the pavement of Luton Road, but is owned by the parish council.

A group of residents staged a sit-in there to prevent a Central Bedfordshire Council workforce removing it in May.

The issue resurfaced at a meeting of CBC on Thursday (Sept 26th) during questions from the public.

Roger Green, who helped start a petition to remove the shelter, said: “We’ve now been talking to people about the bus shelter for five years.

“It was stated in December the bus shelter would be removed, and it took until May to get it started.

“There was a demonstration of types saying the majority of Caddington wants to keep the bus shelter.

“There is not a majority. They have never been asked,” he added.

“Caddington Parish Council has never been questioned whether it has asked everyone in the community should that shelter be kept.

“I would like to know when and how long it is going to take for CBC to remove that bus shelter.”

Resident Mike Russell, for those in favour of the shelter remaining, asked: “Why have you not carried out your commitment and promise to the people of Caddington that you would find the means to cancel the demolition order?

“You asked the parish council to state their position about it and they did. They wish to keep it. You’ve got letters from the parish council and our local MP.

“You’ve also got the support of councillors here and the residents in the wish that you cancel this demolition order.

“The reasons given for wanting to demolish are in certain instances quite fictitious. They have never been tested.”

Conservative Arlesey councillor Ian Dalgarno said: “Having carefully reviewed all the information which was presented to me by our highways officers, I took the decision to demolish it.

“The decision to remove the bus shelter wasn’t taken lightly,” he explained.

“But it has become a bit of a cause celebre within the community and it has created a certain amount of friction from the feedback I have had with the different camps.

“We wrote to the parish council asking them to broker a solution which satisfies the whole community,” he added.

“I haven’t seen some feedback in writing from the parish council that says ‘this is the consultation’ and who they have brokered it with. I would like to have seen that.

“We will be writing to the parish council asking ‘have they tried to broker it?’ and what the outcomes are.

“And once we have the details we will take it as a full report to our executive for further consideration.”