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A 15-year-old boy has today been charged with conspiracy to murder, actual bodily harm (ABH) and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.The youngster, from Basildon in Essex, is the sixth person to be charged in connection with the attempted murder of a man in Gorefield on May 31.He has been released on police bail to return to Milton Police Station on September 9, and cannot be named because of his age.Police at the scene of the May 31 shootingFive people made preliminary court appearances before Luton magistrates on July 22 and were remanded into custody after the shooting incident, which happened at Leverington Common at about 1.55am.Paramedics attended and the victim, a man in his 20s, was taken to hospital with serious injuries. He remains in a critical but stable condition.The following people have since been charged: Jesse Hughes, 31, of St Thomas’ Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, with attempted murder, possession of a firearm and perverting the course of justice;Billy Cameron, 21, of Grosvenor Road, Basildon, Essex, with conspiracy to murder and perverting the course of justice; Brandon Walsh, 29, of Long Riding, Basildon, Essex, with conspiracy to murder and perverting the course of justice;Eleanor Warren, 30, of Willingham Gardens, Flitton, Bedfordshire, with perverting the course of justice;Leah Foley, 34, of Byrd Court, Basildon, with assisting an offender. None of the suspects entered a plea, and they will remain in prison until a plea and trial preparation hearing, which is due to take place on August 19.A 35-year-old man from March, who was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, has been released on police bail and is due to return to Thorpe Wood Police Station on August 31.

Cranfield Church of England Academy (St Paul’s site)A temporary classroom scheme at a Cranfield school “is a complete mess” and “would be thrown out” if submitted by anyone other than Central Bedfordshire Council, a meeting heard.The council’s education department submitted plans for a temporary single-storey building with two extra classrooms at Cranfield Church of England Academy (St Paul’s site), off Braeburn Way.The proposed block will accommodate Year 5 and Year 6 pupils, according to a report to CBC’s development management committee.This which would allow the school to convert from a lower school to a primary school, said the report.Senior planning officer Ben Keen told the committee: “The site consists of nearly three-quarters of an acre of grassland and forms part of the school playing field.“Sport England has removed its holding objection requiring a condition for the sports field to be reinstated eventually,” he said.Conservative Cranfield and Marston Moretaine councillor Sue Clark explained: “We need the school places as the schools in Bedford borough have made the transition to a two-tier education system already.“So it’s essential this goes ahead. There’s an enormous caveat around the highways access arrangements. Flitt Leys Close is already congested.“A parking court will be created out of a small employment area being bought by the developer. There’ll be further double yellow lining towards the school and a zebra crossing installed.“Nine spaces in that small area will be for anyone to park, with the remainder designated for Flitt Leys Close residents losing their on-street parking. That’s for when a reserved matters application comes to committee.“I’d urge you to demand a better solution and then there must be proper enforcement, while the travel plan needs delivering much sooner than six months from today.“There’s a piece of land owned by NHS England next to the school. It’s been suggested that if this was purchased by the council, it would relieve much of the pressure.”Cranfield Parish Council strongly objected to the application on highways grounds.Chartered town planner at planning agents Bidwells Mike Jones said: “The temporary proposals are necessary, as it’s not possible to plan and deliver the required works without impacting on the operation of the school.“There’ve been highways talks around how to shift away from car dependency for drop-off and pick-up. There are extra measures to make pedestrian access safer and encourage non-motorised transport.“We’re actively seeking that school travel plan. It’s not agreed yet. But it’s substantially drafted and ready, subject to minor conversations. More staff parking places are proposed.”Conservative Dunstable West councillor Nigel Young was critical of “an appalling decision to scrap camera cars to enforce school zigzags”, saying: “We have to mitigate against the issues this will cause.“The majority of our schools are plagued by inappropriate parking. We want zigzags wherever they can legally be put, not single yellows. The rest is for assets to get on and purchase the NHS land.”Conservative Clifton, Henlow and Langford councillor Richard Wenham warned: “If this was an application from anyone other than the council, I’m sure this committee would be throwing it out.“It’s truly dreadful this is coming here with now only five weeks of the summer holiday remaining. The chairman should be taking this up with the relevant directors.“None of those mitigations mentioned are likely to be in place before the planning permission for the temporary classrooms has expired. This whole thing is a complete mess.“I find it very hard to support it, although we can’t leave children with nowhere to go for their education in September. The travel plan isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, with no chance of it being implemented before September.“The relevant officers in assets and education should hold their heads in shame to have just foisted this on the committee now.”Liberal Democrat Leighton Linslade North councillor David Bligh, who chairs the committee, added: “It’s not first time the education team has failed to put in an application early enough or appropriately by consulting with other teams.”Independent Potton councillor Tracey Wye suggested: “An emergency traffic management meeting could approve some zigzags.”The Central Bedfordshire Community Network Biggleswade West councillor Hayley Whitaker agreed, saying the school travel plan should also be in place sooner.Councillors approved the development, with eight votes in favour and one against.Continue Reading