The
Arlesey Community Safety Group (ACSG) was formed in October 2001 as a direct
result of the tragic drownings of three small children in the Blue Lagoon
earlier that summer. Such was the shock of that event, the people of Arlesey
demanded a public meeting to discuss the future of the Lagoon.
It was widely acknowledged that the area was attracting an increasingly anti-social element, which was preventing the local people from enjoying its natural beauty in safety.
The ACSG is an independent voluntary group comprising private citizens, local councillors and professional advisors from Bedfordshire Police and Mid Beds District Council.
There are
many safety issues in Arlesey that need addressing and the group has been
involved in areas such as road and water safety. However, the Blue Lagoon
project loomed large and has demanded an enormous input of time from members
of the group.
Time spent on fundraising, issuing press statements, erecting warning signs and barriers, making presentations, public consultations & tracking criminal & antisocial behaviour.
In March 2002, the ACSG had raised enough funds to commission the Ivel & Ouse Countryside Project (IOCP) to conduct a Feasibility Study of the Lagoon and its surrounding area. The group wanted to know whether it was a suitable site for a managed leisure facility - a country park for the community with sufficient commercial activity to ensure that it could sustain its own existence.
The IOCP
brought together landowners and representatives of the surrounding communities
and, for the first time in over 25 years, there was real communication between
the many and varied interested parties in the Lagoon. The original study was
completed in April 2003 and overwhelmingly recommended that a development
of this nature could work in Arlesey at this site. View the Stage
4b Report.pdf (Adobe Acrobat PDF file, 155Kb) published in July
2003. The setting up of a management company to take the project forward is
already underway.
Members of the ACSG are excited about what has been achieved so far and look forward to the benefits that the proposed enhanced facilities at the Lagoon will bring to the area.
Provided by the Arlesey Community Safety Group to promote the safe use and development of the Blue Lagoon site as a country park for the people of Arlesey and the surrounding counties. All images and text are copyright their respective authors and may only be used with written permission. Photographic material donated by snapperz.com. Web hosting by Deltic Computers Ltd. Contact our webmaster.