Petition calls for former council office in Dunstable to be transformed into community facility

A petition and a range of community-related options for Central Bedfordshire Council’s former offices in Dunstable have been presented to the local authority’s executive.

The e-petition focused on stopping the disposal of the Watling House site, off High Street North, with a decision to close the premises having been taken already.

It was signed by 209 people and called for “the land to be retained for a use that has benefit to the community of Dunstable and the wider area”, according to CBC’s website.

The e-petition said: “The concern is CBC will sell the land on the open market and the site used for new low-quality housing, which is unaffordable to local residents.

“This site is ideally situated and sized to address various public service needs of Dunstable and Central Bedfordshire, perhaps simultaneously.

“There’s a real and pressing need for housing relief for Dunstable’s poor and vulnerable. This site is well placed on bus routes and near the town centre, so perfect for that aim.

“Many residents are being priced out of their town, and moving away from their community and support networks. Any other housing type built here is unlikely to be genuinely affordable. Council housing is a long overdue investment in our community.

“This site could be used for a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school to tackle the £10m departmental deficit.

“A precondition of any new developments should be whether the current infrastructure can accommodate more residents. The site is located in Dunstable North, which is underserved by a lack of GP practices and other public services.

“It’s an area with high levels of deprivation and has the highest population density of all of Central Bedfordshire.”

Watling House has an estimated £1.7m maintenance backlog and cost around £600,000 a year to run.

Labour Dunstable North councillor Matthew Brennan acknowledged: “You’ve made the decision already and it’s unfortunate this is going through.

“I ask that you retain the parking area by Westfield Road, as it houses our bottle banks and provides parking in an area overflowing with vehicles on certain week nights.

“Or perhaps keep some of the land for a community centre, use a stake of the sale price to improve the parade of shops, provide subsidised entry to the leisure centre, or spruce up and extend the Beecroft Community Centre.

“These are the kind of things you get from a developer, although such benefits aren’t always achieved from local development.”

Executive member for business, housing and public assets and Independent Biggleswade West councillor Steve Watkins replied: “The financial implications of continuing to invest in the facility to keep it running, even if we were minded to retain it for a community use, don’t make sense.

“What I’ve said before is that assets isn’t a zero-sum game. We’re not just looking to flog things and not reinvest.

“I look forward to meeting councillor Brennan and colleagues to understand what needs there are for the wider Dunstable community and how the directorate might support them. For Watling House, it’s been fully articulated why this is the right decision.”