This summer, Kempston Climate Change Group (KCCG) has been up to plenty. From refreshing flowerbeds and planters around the town, to running a stall at the Family Fun Day and hosting another SWISH event, members have kept busy making sure environmental info and events are available for everyone to access.
However, the climate change group has not just been active outdoors – KCCG recently filed an online complaint to protest the use of a valuable floodplain as a development site for a new megachurch. By taking to the virtual realm to expand our influence in the community, we are joining a growing number of charities embracing the power of the internet.
According to the The Charity Digital Skills Report 2024, more than four in five charities used digital tools to serve communities. At KCCG, we hope that by using online provisions to make our opinion heard we can increase our positive impact, and in the case of the Grace Church development, we are not alone. Other community groups, including ‘Protect Kempston’s Flood Plain’ have also used the council’s online form to object to the proposed development of land to the north of Cemetery Road.
Our objections can be summarised into four broad themes: flood risk and water management, wildlife and ecological impact, climate change & carbon emissions and loss of green space & environmental amenities. We know that as it stands, the floodplain plays a vital role in slowing surface water runoff into the River Great Ouse and believe that proposed strategies for mitigating flood risk are insufficient. Likewise, suggestions that vulnerable species be translocated to facilitate construction fail to appreciate the unique habitat the floodplain represents.
Regarding the proposed land use, we admit additional concerns that the values upheld by Grace Church are not inclusive and may even be discriminatory to some in our community. The space currently fulfils the social and welfare needs of Kempston residents by offering an accessible green space in which to meet and unwind in nature: needs which will not be similarly met by Church facilities.
In instances such as these, public input can amount to a lot – while KCCG regularly attends to small-scale projects focused on local landscaping and encouraging social connection, we are more aware than ever of the challenges climate change presents nationally and internationally. Amidst so much that we cannot change, local environmental security is an issue we can influence. If you feel passionately about sustainable land use, we encourage you to make your own feelings heard by submitting an objection here: https://publicaccess.bedford.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=S8FDP8CU03600 .