§ Andrew Selous (South-West Bedfordshire) (Con)I present a petition signed by 17,000 of my constituents in south Bedfordshire about the scale, nature and location of the Government's development plans for that region. It is a matter of enormous concern to my constituents. 416 The petition states:
To the House of CommonsThe petition of the residents of South Bedfordshire concerning the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy whereby the residents of South Bedfordshire ask the House of Commons to ask the Deputy Prime Minister to amend fundamentally the Milton Keynes and South Midlands subregional strategy so that the Government ensures local housing is built for local people (including affordable housing) and does not use South Bedfordshire to house large numbers of people from outside the district; ensures that the concerns of local people and their local representatives are fully recognised; ensures that future housing development does not make worse the congestion on our roads or the overcrowding of our trains and notes in particular that the agreed extension of the A505 to the MI is to alleviate present congestion and that housebuilding on the proposed scale will make matters worse; ensures that any houses built are built close to and in proportion to any new jobs that are created; ensures that building on the South Bedfordshire green belt is kept to an absolute minimum; ensures that health, education, transport, police, shopping and other community facilities are built at the same time as any new homes.And the petitioners remain, etc.To lie upon the Table.