Newnham Conservative Councillors John Mingay and Kristy Adams have used their Council Ward Funds on two new schemes.
Following complaints to Bedford Borough Council from residents of Risborough Road about grass verge parking, Cllrs Mingay and Adams have prioritised the replacement of grass with ‘grasscrete’ at both ends of the road. This is a grass and concrete mesh that is suitable for parking and it is hoped that this will prevent the problem of grass being churned up vehicles. The Councillors are also speaking to Bedford Borough Council officers to see if further funding can be made available to extend the grasscrete along the whole of the road.
In addition, Cllrs Mingay and Adams have today spoken with officers at the Council and intend to improve the two areas of grass land at the junction of Wendover Drive and Newnham Avenue next door to the petrol station. It is hoped, money permitting, to put in shrubs on both sides of the road and a seat on the south side. This will be paid for by their Ward Fund as it will, in their opinion, greatly improve the local area for residents.
Cllr John Mingay said:
‘We have had a significant number of Risborough Road residents contacting us about verge parking and the damage it is causing to the grass. We have also been in touch with them to hear their suggestions on how to address this issue. It was decided that installing grasscrete would be an ideal solution to protect the grass in the long term so Cllr Adams and I have made it a priority for our Council Ward Funds for this year.’
Cllr Kristy Adams said:
‘As it stands the grass area at the Wendover Drive and Newnham Avenue junction is an eyesore. We hope that the new bench and shrubs will go a long way towards improving this area for the local community.’