About Dunstable

Shouldn’t this be Dunstable too?

A Leighton Buzzard business owner is backing a motion calling for action to reverse the town centre’s “continued deterioration and loss of visitor appeal”.

Clive and Regina Jacques run the Latte Dah Coffeehouse and Café on Peacock Mews and are supporting this resolution to tomorrow’s (Thurs 11th) Central Bedfordshire Council Leighton-Linslade partnership committee meeting.

The motion will be tabled by Independent Leighton Linslade West councillor Victoria Harvey, and urges CBC and Leighton-Linslade Town Council “that all measures to help the Tuesday market and the High Street are urgently pursued”.

Mr Jacques confirmed in an email: “I’ve written to LLTC’s cultural and economic committee based on similar concerns about the town centre, its maintenance and the market.”

In his letter, he criticised the committee’s decision to increase the cost of a Saturday weekend market pitch by ten per cent. While acknowledging it was the first rise “for several years”, Mr Jacques warned: “You don’t appear to have taken into account other factors that affect the self-employed traders and the small business owners in the town.

“These include no personal tax allowance increase for many years, against the ever-rising annual minimum wage structure and increased national insurance contributions, and growth in taxes for employers.

“There’s been a dramatic reduction in daily town centre footfall. That remains unrecovered after the pandemic, particularly with people’s choice and preference to stay and work at home, and shop and order online.

“Another factor is the lost time, wages, and direct and indirect costs incurred because of cancellations of the market based on dangerous weather conditions (often unrealised).

“Peacock Alley, as an adopted thoroughfare, was ignored for many years by the previous Conservative ward councillors and allowed to fall into disrepair. That’s just one disgraceful example of how our town centre heritage is managed now.

“There are lazy patchwork tarmac spray infill repairs to the iconic cobblestone pathway by the historic Peacock Inn building, which dates back to 1540. The alley has an unkempt nature, and is rarely cleaned by CBC,” he explained.

“Please bear in mind that this severely neglected thoroughfare is in a conservation area. An ongoing disregard to maintenance and upkeep compounds the decline in footfall, and the failure to regenerate and maintain our High Street.

“This neglect by our stewards only encourages further misuse and fouling. I look forward to seeing a historic cleaned-up town, High Street and town centre at your earliest convenience.”

Councillor Harvey’s motion requests that: “This committee notes the very worrying and steep decline of the Tuesday market; the increasing vacancies on the High Street; reasons to come into Leighton Buzzard have reduced because of the banks closing and the lack of a heritage or visitor centre, community and cultural venues, and health facilities in the town centre.

“Reversing the decline of the Tuesday market and supporting the High Street is a priority for this committee. This committee recommends to CBC and LLTC that all measures to help the Tuesday market and the High Street are urgently pursued.

“This committee also asks CBC and LLTC to:

revisit the traffic regulation order for the High Street, introducing buses there on a Tuesday;

consider supporting fresh food stalls financially;

create a range of activities to increase footfall on Tuesdays in term-time, as well as holidays;

update and reprint the A6 directory of local shops and cafes, restaurants and services;

and support efforts of community groups to find permanent or meanwhile space for cultural, community and health activities.”

✍Original copy by Euan Duncan, Local Democracy Reporter