Cllr Adam Zerny

23/10/2026

POTTON WILL HOST A COMMUNITY ARCHAEOLOGY DIG NEXT EASTER - BE A PART OF IT

Next April, Potton will host a community archaeological dig; it will allow many members of the community to play a part, and is well worth getting in the diary.

Back in May, Sutton hosted an event to let residents know all about the archaeological dig which took place in the village, the year before, and which discovered a kiln thought to be 750 years old. You can read the full story here: https://www.facebook.com/adamzerny/posts/pfbid0FZppJRuekzs4dXdnGNoetvUkGE9kUBLL6bjHs5ZSH3RC459177rT3FXm5Lanea7Dl

Given the huge level of community interest, I got talking to Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) and its in-house archaeology company, Albion, about whether it might be prepared to support a similar dig in Potton.

I'm delighted to say, this has now been agreed, and Albion will be working with Potton History Society on an event which will take place over the Easter weekend, next year.

This is what will be happening:
- 6 days of test-pitting around Easter, provisionally Thursday 1st to Saturday 3rd April, and Thursday 8th to Saturday 10th April (a mixture of weekdays and weekends to maximise scope for community participation)
- Support from Albion Archaeology on site each day to provide oversight and guidance, with 3 or 4 test-pits dug at a time (depending on number of volunteers and the time required to dig each test-pit)
- Potential for involvement from the school and the scouts
- Members of Potton History Society with archaeological experience will lead the digging of each test-pit, aided by volunteers
- Finds-washing will take place after the pits have been dug.

There will be lots for Potton History Society to organise over the coming months and nearer the time there will be more information on how the public can get involved once we know where the individual dig sites will be located.

If you think your garden offers the ideal place for a dig, drop me a line at [email protected] and I'll put you in touch with the history society.

In the meantime attached are a few photos from the last 'Potton dig' 13 years ago, when some of us looked a bit younger.

19/10/2026

GOOD NEWS FOR LOCAL ROADS - NEWTOWN AND WILLOW ROAD RESURFACING DATES CONFIRMED

Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) Highways, has just announced dates for resurfacing, of two roads in Potton that are well overdue some attention.

Back in April, we mentioned that all of the major concerns raised locally, were going to be included in the Highways Plan for the year ahead:
https://www.facebook.com/adamzerny/posts/pfbid023JN1NLsrxHXRUHoRj1frUChJTA1K46Zh7ePFQ5uwAd4os18KsmbBuk1GBxsubZorl

However, based on requests from you, we've kept pushing to get the work done as soon as possible.

We know both the northern end of Newtown and the southern of Willow Road are areas you're really eager the council gets sorted out.

So we're pleased to confirm Willow Road should get resurfaced between 1st and 5th February (road marking on 19th February)
and Newtown should get resurfaced between 8th and 12th February (road marking on 17th February).

Of course if the weather gets really bad nearer the time, the dates may change slightly, but the important thing is it's now in the diary to be done.

Some further good news is that after we asked about it, the council has also agreed to repair the surface of the Ridgeway where it meets Biggleswade Road, and this should be done at the same time as the recently announced work on Biggleswade Road we mentioned a couple of weeks back:
https://www.facebook.com/adamzerny/posts/pfbid0TtHTa3csavi4CmQxdaiFbjDnFeXemyHUSYBgDvyPqKEGze4DrtjPESpRZWUQaUAvl

Why don't Highways resurface fully, when potholes first happen?
People often ask why Highways don't patch/resurface to start with. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, when potholes first come about in the middle of winter, fills are less likely to last in the ice, snow and cold. they are much more likely to last when they take place later in the year. Also, major work requires road closures and these have to be booked in months ahead. Highways are only allowed to work on the road for 20 minutes without a closure, hence emergency fills.

Why does it take so long?
Central Beds covers a huge area from Leighton Buzzard in the south west, to Potton in the north east. The warmer months (as above) are when such work on the roads takes place and the contractors will diarise the work to ensure the greatest amount of resurfacing can take place.

16/10/2026

DEVELOPER RE-SUBMITS PLANNING APPLICATION FOR 9 HOUSES ON SANDY ROAD, POTTON

Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) has received a new planning application to build 9 houses on a one acre site, on the south side of Sandy Road, Potton. This was originally submitted to the council a year ago, and we mentioned it online here: https://www.facebook.com/profile/100058282171382/search/?q=9%20houses%20application%20potton%20sandy%20road

However, as is often the case with planning applications, CBC Highways officers raised concerns, in particular over the visibility for vehicles leaving the parking spaces on the site.

The developer has now adapted the application in order to try and meet the council's planning concerns.

Developers building fewer than 10 houses would not usually attract S106 contributions for the local community

The land is included within CBC's current adopted Local Plan for development for 2015-35 [1] although it's interesting to note the council felt 12 houses could be built on the site [2]. If the developer had applied for 12 it would have attracted S106.

The developer is applying to build the following houses:
- 2 x 2 bed
- 4 x 3 bed
- 3 x 4+ bed

You can see the location on the map attached. The other sites in red/blue on the map are the ones put forward in CBC's recent Local Plan Call for Sites. More on that here:
https://www.facebook.com/adamzerny/posts/pfbid03H45fieJgTBVUP5BmLJV2Mo9FEq937uuGxqYpkn9bxoGkZD7MXTjcmcnze9eMHRrl

To see the documents associated with the application, click here: https://cbc.aifusion.io/planning/publicViewer.html?caseID=CB/26/02760/FULL

And for more details here: https://plantech.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/PLANTECH/DCWebPages/acolnetcgi.gov?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=646925

To comment, email [email protected] and quote reference CB/26/02760.

The consultation runs until 4th November.

Appendix

[1] See page 315 https://centralbedfordshirecouncil.sharepoint.com/sites/Communications/Website%20and%20intranet/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FCommunications%2FWebsite%20and%20intranet%2FWebsite%20Documents%2FPlanning%2FLocal%20Plan%2FLocal%20Plan%20Documents%2F15%5F%20Adoption%20documents%2F2%5F%20Central%20Bedfordshire%20Local%20Plan%202015%20%E2%80%93%202035%2FCentral%20Bedfordshire%20Local%20Plan%202015%20%E2%80%93%202035%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FCommunications%2FWebsite%20and%20intranet%2FWebsite%20Documents%2FPlanning%2FLocal%20Plan%2FLocal%20Plan%20Documents%2F15%5F%20Adoption%20documents%2F2%5F%20Central%20Bedfordshire%20Local%20Plan%202015%20%E2%80%93%202035&p=true&ga=1
[2] See page 83 https://centralbedfordshirecouncil.sharepoint.com/sites/Communications/Website%20and%20intranet/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FCommunications%2FWebsite%20and%20intranet%2FWebsite%20Documents%2FPlanning%2FLocal%20Plan%2FLocal%20Plan%20Documents%2F15%5F%20Adoption%20documents%2F2%5F%20Central%20Bedfordshire%20Local%20Plan%202015%20%E2%80%93%202035%2FCentral%20Bedfordshire%20Local%20Plan%202015%20%E2%80%93%202035%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FCommunications%2FWebsite%20and%20intranet%2FWebsite%20Documents%2FPlanning%2FLocal%20Plan%2FLocal%20Plan%20Documents%2F15%5F%20Adoption%20documents%2F2%5F%20Central%20Bedfordshire%20Local%20Plan%202015%20%E2%80%93%202035&p=true&ga=1

14/10/2026

A1 TO CLOSE OVER WEEKENDS IN NOVEMBER

The A1 will be shut in at least one direction around Black Cat/Tempsford over two weekends in November, and there will be further closures overmight and on other nearby roads. This is related to the ongoing works around the Black Cat roundabout conducted by National Highways.

The A1 will be shut northbound between Tempsford and Black Cat, from 9pm on Friday 6th November, until 5am on Monday 9th November.
And during the same times, the A1 will be shut southbound between Wyboston and Tempsford, and the A421 will be shut westbound between Black Cat and Renhold.

And....

The A1 will be shut southbound between Wyboston and Tempsford, from 9pm on Friday 13th November, until 5am on Monday 16th November.

There will also be closures on the A421, and other roads close to Black Cat, and midweek overnight closures on the A1.

The usual diversions will be in place on nearby local roads such as St Neots Road.

See attached details, and there is further information here:
https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/a428-black-cat-to-caxton-gibbet/diversions-closures-and-speed-restrictions/

In the past there have been long delays on diversion routes so if you don’t need to be in the area, it’s best to avoid!

13/10/2026

PLANNING APPLICATION FOR INDUSTRIAL ESTATE AT TEMPSFORD RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL

A planning application has been recommended for approval by Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) for 6 industrial units on the A1, immediately south of Tempsford. The final decision will be made by councillors, later this month.

The applicant states in the documentation that the "site is currently vacant but forms part of the established Flamingo Flowers commercial site and provides direct access to the A1."

A public consultation took place last year: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=PLANNING%20APPLICATION%20FOR%20INDUSTRIAL%20ESTATE%20AT%20TEMPSFORD%C2%A0
Of 39 responses, 37 opposed the development.

Concerns were expressed by Tempsford Parish Council with regard to traffic. The parish council suggested large vehicles approaching the site on the southbound A! should continue to the Sandy roundabout and approach it from the northbound A1. The thinking was that this would reduce the impact of these vehicles on local residents. The Internal Drainage Board (which has responsibility for rivers and other waterways) also voiced concerns about drainage.

The report prepared by CBC can be seen here:https://centralbeds.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s84655/Officer%20Committee%20Report%20DMC%2021.pdf

To see more information click here: https://plantech.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/PLANTECH/DCWebPages/acolnetcgi.gov?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=643141

To see all the documents relating to the application, including the application itself, click here: https://cbc.aifusion.io/planning/publicViewer.html?caseID=CB/25/03051/FULL

The meeting at which the decision will be made takes place on 21st October: https://centralbeds.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=631&MId=5993&Ver=4

12/10/2026

POTTON CAR PARK CHANGES - PUBLIC CONSULTATION BEGINS TODAY

Potton Town Council has agreed there will be a public consultation on proposed changes at the Henry Smith Playing Fields car park in the town centre. The consultation starts today, and runs until the end of November.

Earlier this year, at a busy public meeting, Potton Town Council heard from members of the public over the proposed introduction of parking charges at the car park on Brook End.
https://www.facebook.com/adamzerny/posts/pfbid031T4V7pkdCfkXyiZJg7SyJXy1Q8XJbgGtwkBLQyiUz8Mf9bphGd3S29LAVg6XLhp2l

Issues raised included:
- Impact upon those who live on Royston Street or Brook End, or work in the town centre
- Potential for people who work in the town to park at the Hall for All
- Trying to allow shoppers and visitors to the surgery to be able to park easily
- Possibility of car parking permits being introduced
- Whether the proposed costs of parking could be re-considered
- Consideration for whether Central Beds might consider resident's only parking on Royston Street
- Potential to reintroduce daytime parking on Royston Street
- Whether the car park could be extended

The town council is proposing the changes with the following aims:
- Reduce long-term and inappropriate parking
- Improve space availability for visitors, workers and residents
- Help cover the cost of car park maintenance without increasing the local precept for Potton residents
- Potential for Improved safety/security measures

The town council has now arranged a public consultation which starts today, and run until 30th November 2026.

This will be publicised in the October edition of the town council newsletter, and an electronic version of consultation will be available here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=xhrV7et_9k-jKMW05eOx2NObfGBzVdVHk0N4eBs8w4JUQkRIR0hYQ0dFMTVXNTc0U0daSkY1MjlKVC4u&route=shorturl

The proposed changes to the car park are as follows:
Monday – Saturday between 8am – 6pm
Free period: 2 hours
Up to 3 hours (free 2 hours + an extra hour) – £1
Up to 5 hours (free 2 hours + an extra 3 hours) – £2.50
Up to 10 hours – £5.00
Sunday: Free

At present, there are no formal proposals on whether monthly/annual permits will be permitted, or how payments would be made, and this will be considered, subject to the results of the consultation.

You can see more on the town council's website here: https://pottontowncouncil.gov.uk/brook-end-car-park-consultation/
and here:
https://pottontowncouncil.gov.uk/car-park-consultation/
And take part in the consultation here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=xhrV7et_9k-jKMW05eOx2NObfGBzVdVHk0N4eBs8w4JUQkRIR0hYQ0dFMTVXNTc0U0daSkY1MjlKVC4u&route=shorturl

There is plenty of freetype on the link above, for any additional comments. If you have feedback on any related aspect of the proposals please take part in the consultation as comments on this post will not necessarily be considered by the town council, but responses to the consultation definitely will!

07/10/2026

WHY OUR ROADS NEED MAJOR FUNDING AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT

There is no doubt our roads need more attention. Years of underinvestment by successive governments has created a big maintenance backlog that cannot be solved without major investment. Although funding allocated by Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) has increased in recent years, the condition of many roads remains below the standard that residents rightly expect. Of course, this is not a challenge unique to our area. You have highlighted similar, and in some cases more severe, issues are being experienced in neighbouring counties, and across the country.

So, what can we do about it?

CBC collects just over £200 million per year in Council Tax. However, well over half of that goes on Children's Services and Adult Social Care, which are 'mandatory services' the government stipulates have to be provided. This means the council must allocate this money as a priority, before spending it on the roads.

Just over 10% of the council's budget is spent on paying interest on debt (money borrowed in the past to pay for schools, leisure centres, health centres, and care homes)
About 12% deals with our waste and recycling.
A smaller sum goes on leisure and libraries.
And running a Planning department is also expensive because, again, the government dictates what the council has to do and restricts the fees the council can charge developers.

After some hefty cost-cutting elsewhere, this year the council upped the Highways budget to £16 Million. The government puts in a slightly smaller sum, taking it to about £30 million. And the funds also have to cover footpaths, signage, bridges, cycle lanes, traffic lights, and drainage. What is left for the roadmending, just about allows the council to ensure the roads are safe.

What this £30 million cannot do, is fix the results of historic underspending which means when we have a tough winters and long dry summers, roads deteriorate. In January and February we saw about four times as many potholes as we would in other months. We shouldn't be surprised by this because the sums of money being spent are not enough, and deterioration is happening quickly.

CBC Highways is well aware that if you fix a road properly, it should stay fixed, but the money is not there to do so, hence the minor fixes we see every day.

Furthermore, last winter, the government reduced overall funding to the council by £40 million over three years.

At the Council, officers estimate that a one-off investment of approximately £30 million from Government would be required for our area to halt the continued deterioration of the highway network. However, this would likely need to be sustained over the following years to enable the roads network to improve progressively and reach the standard that residents and businesses require.

In the past, the government has implied the Council should put council tax up more to pay for this sort of thing, but we don't think this is right. Years of government underfunding has created the situation we're in now, and that's not the fault of local residents, many of whom are already struggling with the cost of living.

If the government doesn't realise how important roads are to the public, then they need to.

I have written to the Transport Secretary telling them we need this £30 million now, to prevent the roads deteriorating.

I encourage you to write to your MP, telling them what is happening, and asking for their support in Parliament.

What else can we do? As councillors we are also working with the council's Highways department, who are planning for the forthcoming winter. If the government does not provide the sums we have sought, we need to be prepared for the fact it's on us to do our best with what we have.

30/09/2026

IF YOU HAVE OLD FRIDGES/FREEZERS TO GO TO THE TIP - WAIT UNTIL 12TH OCTOBER

A planned shutdown by a recycling company, means if you have an old fridge or freezer to go to one of Central Bedfordshire's Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), you will need to wait a couple of weeks.

Ordinarily you can take fridges/freezers to the HWRCs in our area. There is no charge for this if you take them in yourself. However, as the firm who does the eventual recycling of such goods has had a recent 2 week shutdown to clean/repair their machinery, they now need to collect all the fridges/freezers which have built up around the country in the meantime. This means the HWRCs need to wait until these are collected before they can take any more from the public. They expect this to be resolved by 12th October.

While this will be annoying for some, we should count ourselves lucky...

Across the country there is a national backlog for recycling fridges and freezers. At the end of 2025 a Welsh company called Unimetals, went bust. There are now tens of thousands of such items sitting at Newport docks. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1mvz3nyjxno This firm used to cover 30% of the UK's capacity for the recycling of fridges and freezers.

Some councils had to stop collections months ago, and for long periods of time: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpw9lxdzdn8o

Fortunately the ones from our area go to a different recycling company.

I have also spoken to the company that does the recycling, to hear directly from them, that the shutdown is over, and things are already returning to normal.

In the meantime if you do have an old fridge/freezer which you would usually take to the HWRC...

- As long as it safe to do so, keep it on your property.
- Please do not let unlicenced house clearance operators take it away from your property. If it is fly tipped, you will be liable and could face prosecution and/or a hefty fine.
- Ask to see a license from anyone offering to dispose of your fridge or freezer so you know it will be disposed of properly
- If you are buying a new fridge/freezer ask the supplier to take away your old one.

29/09/2026

GOOD NEWS FOR LOCAL ROADS - BIGGLESWADE ROAD JUNCTION ADDED TO THE LIST FOR RESURFACING

Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) Highways, has just announced further resurfacing, this time for Biggleswade Road, Potton.

Back in April, we mentioned that all of the major concerns raised locally, were going to be included in the Highways Plan for the year ahead:
https://www.facebook.com/adamzerny/posts/pfbid023JN1NLsrxHXRUHoRj1frUChJTA1K46Zh7ePFQ5uwAd4os18KsmbBuk1GBxsubZorl

However, based on requests from you, we've continued to push for work to take place at some of the other locations where winter weather has left roads looking in need of a bit of TLC.

One of these sites is the junction between Biggleswade Road, and Blackbird Street, Potton. As can be seen in the attached photo, there are areas which have become quite rutted, and Highways agree with us that some patching will be necessary, or these will break up further in the next winter.

It's booked in for later this year, and if all goes to plan should take place between 5th-9th November. Look out for road closures at the time as the whole section of road will likely be closed in the middle of the day.

Why don't Highways resurface fully, when potholes first happen?
People often ask why Highways don't patch/resurface to start with. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, when potholes first come about in the middle of winter, fills are less likely to last in the ice, snow and cold. they are much more likely to last when they take place later in the year. Also, major work requires road closures and these have to be booked in months ahead. Highways are only allowed to work on the road for 20 minutes without a closure, hence emergency fills.

Why does it take so long?
Central Beds covers a huge area from Leighton Buzzard in the south west, to Potton in the north east. The warmer months (as above) are when such work on the roads takes place and the contractors will diarise the work to ensure the greatest amount of resurfacing can take place.

25/09/2026

HIGHWAYS WORK ON SUTTON-DUNTON ROAD EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE IN NOVEMBER

Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC)'s Highways department has confirmed work will take place in November to repair the undulating section of road, as you head between Sutton and Dunton.

Back in the spring, we mentioned how CBC had agreed to carry out the repairs:
https://www.facebook.com/adamzerny/posts/pfbid023UtAfZ4gbt1JtKp3gVzndCtQ6TKSeB9aJ8dzVgFN9qtt9zEC1MavnuwhW2k88Ph5l
But last month we reported the frustrating news the improvements, originally planned in the summer, would be postponed.
https://www.facebook.com/adamzerny/posts/pfbid028S8TojqbED138QcYWTF5Ex5GiycFAtA4fSodNgRdTEwUGvSfxwaw9f2NkBfnrvZXl

At present, driving along this road, can feel like a ride on a rollercoaster.

Although the work was planned to happen in August, during part of the preparation, the highways contractor carried out a survey and discovered that underneath the road was a reinforced mesh grid. This mesh provides structural reinforcement to the road, but importantly, it also affects the type of machinery they can use for the works. The mesh means they have to use specific methods, and unfortunately it meant they had to redesign the planned works.

The good news is they now have a date. It will begin on 16th November, and the closure is scheduled to last until 18th December. I am told the dates include some contingency for bad weather but they are expecting to work weekends to get it done quickly. Of course, they might not need all this time, but it is a big piece of work.

LOTS OF ROAD IMPROVEMENTS ON THE WAY FOR OUR AREA.

The Council has agreed to carry out road improvements to our area such as Newtown and Willow Road, Potton, and the road between Sutton and Dunton, in the year to come.

Every year, Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC)'s Highways Department puts together a plan for resurfacing and repairing local roads. Major improvements tend to take place during the warmer months in order that harsher winter weather cannot undo the work too quickly.

Last year Cllr Tracey Wye and I asked for your help in putting together a list of the worst roads in our area where there were multiple potholes, loss of road surface or deep rutting. https://www.facebook.com/adamzerny/posts/1242154544403940

CBC has now agreed to improve ALL of the roads which received the most complaints. This means repairs or resurfacing in the following areas in the year to come. With some, they even have provisional dates (subject to change) for a repair already:
- The road between Sutton and Dunton, especially the undulating section as you leave Sutton - will get a repair this year
- The northern end of Newtown, Potton - Resurfacing on the way this year
- High Street, Sutton, around the brook (some works carried out already, in January, see photo)
- Dunton roundabout - Will get a new surface probably in the second half of this year
- The southern end of Willow Road, Potton - Resurfacing on the way this year
- Myers Road, Potton - Works carried out already, in December
- Millow, Dunton - Repairs carried out on the road surface, in December
- Sun Street pavement, Potton - Will get a repair this year. Likely to be in May.
- Blackbird Street pavement, Potton - Will get a repair this year
- White lines - We have told CBC where these have worn away and these will be repainted this summer

The photo attached shows me next to some of these repairs.

If you spot any potholes in the meantime, please report on Fix My Street, or drop me or a line and we will have a chat with CBC for you.
https://fixmystreet.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/

The council has also checked the following locations and has agreed to keep monitoring these concerns you raised:
- Hatley Road and Sutton Road junction, Potton
- Magdalene Close, Dunton
- Braybrooks Drive, Potton
- Dunton Lane, Biggleswade
- Festival Road, Potton
- Sutton Hill

We've also flagged a number of pavements with them.

None of this affects the council's ongoing obligations to sort out potholes which become dangerous, and they have carried on doing this over the winter.

The above list feels like a real result, but if you think the Council has missed anything off, let Tracey Wye or me know and we will get on to CBC. Either reply to this or drop me an email to [email protected] or Tracey via [email protected] ,

As ever, Highways is keen to highlight if low speeds are recorded on a road e.g. because it's a cul-de-sac, they would usually permit the road to deteriorate more than with a fast/busy road.