Health Centre Failed Application - what was the point of it all?

In June 2010, I asked if anybody knew why Biggleswade Town Council was spending nearly £50,000 of our money on an outline planning application for a Health Centre, etc etc. There is no approval recorded in the minutes of the Council to spend this money

Up to that point (and later) all surveys & consultations, overwhelming showed that any new health centre should be in the town. Neither the Primary Care Trust or the Doctors Surgeries supported the proposed location of Saxon Drive.

Let me just quote to you from the Town Council Governance Statement, (which is shown in full at http://biggleswadeonline.blogspot.com) :

"The Council identifies its visions as part of its programme setting process and communicates its intentions and intended outcomes to its citizens and service users via its web site, local news leaflet and press releases."

I think most people found about this scheme, from the Biggleswade Chronicle, when the application was made.

So despite all of this Biggleswade Town Council went ahead with the application.

So who would gain, IF the application had been approved??

• Central Bedfordshire Council – the land would increase in value significantly, as it could sold on with the benefit of outline planning permission to develop it. CBC would have not spent anything in achieving this.

• The Developer of Kings Reach – In the Section 106 agreement signed in 2006, there is an amount of £625,500 (index linked) and 0.2 hectares of land to be provided by the developer for the medical centre. If the application had succeeded the Developer would have grounds for asking for that legal commitment to be waived. They would then apply for permission to build houses on the 0.2 hectare of land.

Page 39 of Section 106 agreement to MB/03/1205 shows the health centre

http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/portal/showimage.asp?j=mb/03/01205&index=250240

So who has lost out now the application has been refused.

1.The Council Tax Payers of Biggleswade who are nearly £50,000 out of pocket either way.

2.The developer who is still under a legal obligation to pay the index linked £625,000 and provide the O.2 hectares of land.

3. You could include CBC, as the land value has not increased, but I was not aware they looking to gain anything anyway.

So what was the point of it all ?