Cllr Mark Smith has hit out at Milton Keynes Council over plans which could see Turvey take the brunt of increased lorry traffic accessing a proposed gravel extraction site.
As part of its Minerals Local Plan, Milton Keynes Council has put forward a site for gravel extraction near Lavendon.
It has been suggested that if the resulting traffic movements are to be kept away from the A509 through Olney, Turvey could see an increase in lorries using the A428 in order to access the M1.
Cllr Smith raised this issue at Wednesday’s meeting of Bedford Borough Council. He called on the Mayor’s administration to ensure that the Borough is not adversely affected by the actions of a neighbouring authority.
Following the meeting he said:
‘Several years ago Turvey benefitted from the removal of signs which had directed vehicles to travel through the village on their way to the M1. This resulted in a notable reduction in lorry traffic but this good work could now be undone if lorries accessing a gravel extraction site at Lavendon use Turvey as their route of choice when moving to and from the site.
‘I was pleased that the Borough Council’s Executive Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport agreed with my concerns and has pledged that a traffic assessment will be done to address any implications for Turvey.’