Question 2
Park & Ride new A6 on the North side of Bedford
The map needs to be redesigned as there were a number of errors on the map with regards to incorrect information about identified brown field sites one of them being Staploe, Duloe and honeydon which was incorrect
No comment
The narrative around this vision omits two fundamental aspects of making our environment cleaner, and indeed a place to travel through and to. These are always omitted and I commend to the LPA to make this a cohesive part in the vision - 1. public transport - there needs to be a robust strategy in this respect notwithstanding the reference to the East West rail. Bus services need to be better and encourage more residents to use public transport. 2. without 1. above there needs to be a much improved evidence based review of the highway network capacity. It is absolutely clear the LP2030 did not consider this in any way in respect of the "key service centres" - Sharnbrook & Clapham in particular. I therefore say, the vision is tinkering at the fringes until this fundamental issue is addressed head on - do not leave it until after the event, as is always done.
The narrative around this vision omits two fundamental aspects of making our environment cleaner, and indeed a place to travel through and to. These are always omitted and I commend to the LPA to make this a cohesive part in the vision - 1. public transport - there needs to be a robust strategy in this respect notwithstanding the reference to the East West rail. Bus services need to be better and encourage more residents to use public transport. 2. without 1. above there needs to be a much improved evidence based review of the highway network capacity. It is absolutely clear the LP2030 did not consider this in any way in respect of the "key service centres" - Sharnbrook & Clapham in particular. I therefore say, the vision is tinkering at the fringes until this fundamental issue is addressed head on - do not leave it until after the event, as is always done.
no
Appreciate emphasis on sustainability, but more emphasis should be made on promoting sustainable transport modes (such as walking and cycling; Bedford is very well suited to these and with a bit of encouragement these could be really successful (bringing not only transport benefits but health benefits too, thereby having positive budget implications for other Council departments). Design emphasis is good but high design expectations should be stated much more clearly. Good design is not only good for town planning but has positive implications for population health, biodiversity and so forth. The reference to sustainable food production is a bit random! The vision should be more concise (so easier to sell/remember) and should be organised in terms of priority: for example sustainability, good design, green transport, the town centre and so forth.
The vision is good, and it needs to be born in mind when considering the issues involved in the scope of the plan. Some aspects can sometimes get forgotten when there is a rush for ‘development’.
Your statements on town centre development beg further thought. We now have the situation where the town centre is based around retail, which is and will continue to decrease, making for a very despondant place. We also have new developments springing up around town, usually including a retail space, which are very popular. We also dont want people to use their cars or travel unnecessarily. Therefore, as above, the town centre needs to have more residential development and become a niche desirable meeting place. All this means that the surrounding residential developments need to be more self sufficient, and should be encouraged to be so. Each retail park should contain a supermarket where all main essentials can be purchased, as well as a cafe, post office and some other retail opportunities (as in Great Denham), and hopefully also located near or easy access to a local school, this means that each retail park becomes the centre of an urban village, hugely reducing the need to travel, and encouraging walking and cycling.. Thereby people only need to travel to the town centre for specialist things, and dont need to travel to yet another location for supermarkets and regular necessities. Implication of this is that the town centre needs to reduce in size, offer specialist services - bank,optician, niche stores, meeting places, but within a much more compact and pleasant area, where lots of people also live, so that it isnt a ghost town at night. In fact part of the town centre could become a further urban village(s).
none
By using brown field sites in bedford
The vision states ‘Rural communities will embrace sensitive development through neighbourhood plans that provide and support much needed housing and employment…’ and this is consistent with the approach within the adopted Local Plan for certain Key service and Rural service centres. The delegation of responsibility for determining the location of growth to designated neighbourhood areas is consistent with paragraph 65 of the NPPF, however in the circumstances of this Local Plan Review it may not be appropriate for all areas. The increase in the housing requirement and the need to demonstrate a supply of specific deliverable sites will require the need for sites which can deliver quickly. However, the requirement for such sites to be allocated within a Neighbourhood Plan introduces delay and uncertainty through a process which the Council cannot control. This could ultimately undermine the soundness of the Plan. The Local Plan Review should therefore be making allocations in neighbourhood areas where it is necessary to ensure it can demonstrate housing delivery, and not delegate responsibility to neighbourhood plans given the delay and uncertainty that arises. Further, where responsibility is delegated, the Local Plan Review should also set out what approach it will take to plan making or planning applications in areas where a local community is unwilling to prepare, progress, or update a Neighbourhood Plan in a timely manner in accordance with the Council’s trajectory. Consideration should also be given to the Vision containing specific reference to boosting the supply of homes in the Borough, particularly given the Government’s objectives both nationally and in relation to the Arc.
Bedford's town centre is currently in a dire state with several major shops closed and empty for at least a year and other major shops at risk of closure. Previous plans have promised a revamp of the centre, but none have been successful. Just want to stress how important it is that priority is given to the centre's rejuvenation. If improvements are not made, and the it continues to decline, no one will want to come and live here anyway.
Bedford's town centre is currently in a dire state with several major shops closed and empty for at least a year and other major shops at risk of closure. Previous plans have promised a revamp of the centre, but none have been successful. Just want to stress how important it is that priority is given to the centre's rejuvenation. If improvements are not made, and the it continues to decline, no one will want to come and live here anyway.
The vision states ‘Rural communities will embrace sensitive development through neighbourhood plans that provide and support much needed housing and employment…’ and this is consistent with the approach within the adopted Local Plan for certain Key service and Rural service centres. The delegation of responsibility for determining the location of growth to designated neighbourhood areas is consistent with paragraph 65 of the NPPF, however in the circumstances of this Local Plan Review it may not be appropriate for all areas. The increase in the housing requirement and the need to demonstrate a supply of specific deliverable sites will require the need for sites which can deliver quickly. However, the requirement for such sites to be allocated within a Neighbourhood Plan introduces delay and uncertainty through a process which the Council cannot control. This could ultimately undermine the soundness of the Plan. The Local Plan Review should therefore be making allocations in neighbourhood areas where it is necessary to ensure it can demonstrate housing delivery, and not delegate responsibility to neighbourhood plans given the delay and uncertainty that arises. Further, where responsibility is delegated, the Local Plan Review should also set out what approach it will take to plan making or planning applications in areas where a local community is unwilling to prepare, progress, or update a Neighbourhood Plan in a timely manner in accordance with the Council’s trajectory. Consideration should also be given to the Vision containing specific reference to boosting the supply of homes in the Borough, particularly given the Government’s objectives both nationally and in relation to the Arc.
The vision states ‘Rural communities will embrace sensitive development through neighbourhood plans that provide and support much needed housing and employment…’ and this is consistent with the approach within the adopted Local Plan for certain Key service and Rural service centres. The delegation of responsibility for determining the location of growth to designated neighbourhood areas is consistent with paragraph 65 of the NPPF, however in the circumstances of this Local Plan Review it may not be appropriate for all areas. The increase in the housing requirement and the need to demonstrate a supply of specific deliverable sites will require the need for sites which can deliver quickly. However, the requirement for such sites to be allocated within a Neighbourhood Plan introduces delay and uncertainty through a process which the Council cannot control. This could ultimately undermine the soundness of the Plan. The Local Plan Review should therefore be making allocations in neighbourhood areas where it is necessary to ensure it can demonstrate housing delivery, and not delegate responsibility to neighbourhood plans given the delay and uncertainty that arises. Further, where responsibility is delegated, the Local Plan Review should also set out what approach it will take to plan making or planning applications in areas where a local community is unwilling to prepare, progress, or update a Neighbourhood Plan in a timely manner in accordance with the Council’s trajectory. Consideration should also be given to the Vision containing specific reference to boosting the supply of homes in the Borough, particularly given the Government’s objectives both nationally and in relation to the Arc.
Providing ultra high speed Rural Broadband is essentila for both domestic and business use in the countryside.
The positive community centred vision is pleasing. There should be a clean air policy included in the vision. I could see no mention of air quality - Bedford has had a high level of cases of asthma over many years.
no additional comment
The document talks of “high quality commercial and office spaces". There is unlikely to be significant need for office development, in the light of a historic movement away from office space (with much already being converted to residential use), Covid-19 and new home-working patterns that will continue. Further, "high quality" is now too often interpreted to include air conditioning, car parking, etc. If any further spaces are built, they should be designed to maximise passive heating/cooling, and located to minimise traffic generation. New non-residential development of 1,000m² or more floorspace or with a gross site area of 1ha or more should be required to achieve the BREEAM Excellent rating and at least a 50% reduction in carbon emissions from a 2013 Building Regulations (or future equivalent legislation) complaint base case. This reduction is to be secured on-site. The requirement should increase from 2030 to at least a 80% reduction in carbon emissions. The "vibrant new town neighbourhoods" need local employment, shopping and leisure facilities within a 15 minute walk, the full variety of housing sizes, including social rented properties (25% minimum would be a suitable level) as well as private renting and owner-occupied. The River Great Ouse valley area, and the protection and enhancement of this vital natural asset needs much greater emphasis
The Draft Vision states that Bedford will become greener and more sustainable. That aspiration needs to be met by a clear understanding that the previous plan’s strategy of allocating large estates to villages had the opposite effect as it has driven up car mileage: to the extent that this remains among the options this Draft Vision is just empty rhetoric.
The Vision lacks ambition, particularly in terms of the role that Bedford could have in the Oxford to Cambridge Arc and in terms of design aspirations. Bedford is located in the centre of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc and the town and its residents should benefit from the opportunities that could bring in terms of new infrastructure and job opportunities including jobs that may not or cannot locate in Cambridge or Oxford e.g. manufacturing. Bedford should also aspire to high quality design, and the Vision should include an aspiration for a development of an award winning design to be delivered during the plan period e.g. Stirling Prize or similar. This might raise Bedford's profile and set a standard for future developments.
The draft vision does not comment specifically on the negative impacts that East West Rail will have on the village communities which it runs through. The draft vision could therefore be improved by acknowledging these negative effects and by suggesting strategies through which they could be mitigated.
The document talks of “high quality commercial and office spaces". There is unlikely to be significant need for office development, in the light of a historic movement away from office space (with much already being converted to residential use), Covid-19 and new home-working patterns that will continue. Further, "high quality" is now too often interpreted to include air conditioning, car parking, etc. If any further spaces are built, they should be designed to maximise passive heating/cooling, and located to minimise traffic generation. New non-residential development of 1,000m² or more floorspace or with a gross site area of 1ha or more should be required to achieve the BREEAM Excellent rating and at least a 50% reduction in carbon emissions from a 2013 Building Regulations (or future equivalent legislation) complaint base case. This reduction is to be secured on-site. The requirement should increase from 2030 to at least a 80% reduction in carbon emissions. The "vibrant new town neighbourhoods" need local employment, shopping and leisure facilities within a 15 minute walk, the full variety of housing sizes, including social rented properties (25% minimum would be a suitable level) as well as private renting and owner-occupied. The River Great Ouse valley area, and the protection and enhancement of this vital natural asset needs much greater emphasis
Re Wixams, concerns on lack of community facilities, future shops and amenities like GP and youth activities and sport facilities, traffic, poor housing design and road design with regard to adequate parking per house and on road/pavement parking and infrastructure with regards to traffic movements, pollution and no of vehicles causing the Causeway and A6 and Bedford Rd roundabouts to deteriorate. The Master plan has Wixams growing to 4000-5000 homes split across Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire. This is before Wixam Wood and Thickthorn Wood in Central Bedfordshire.
I agree with the vision, but would only add that current disused spaces, for example empty lots at the Rope Walk retail park, or empty shops in town, are quickly and temporarily repurposed. For example pop shops or exhibitions, or simply inspiring images on the windows to minimise the sense of economic depression created by empty retail spaces.
We note the importance of the natural environment of Bedford Borough is recognised throughout the vision – the first adjective is “greener” and strong references appear throughout. This is critical as it helps establish early on that the environment is not a ‘nice to have’ but a fundamental essential. We suggest the term “Net Environmental Gain” is embedded at this point so it can be established as a concept and inform wider policy. We also welcome specific reference and continued support to major GI initiatives such as the Forest of Marston Vale, Bedford River Valley Park and the Bedford-MK Waterway Park. We suggest specific mention is made of the River Great Ouse and its importance to the town and borough, in environmental, economic and social terms, forming a key element of the ‘sense of place’ now and in the future. The only true omission is reference to wildlife. The benefits of the natural environment and green spaces for people are mentioned, but the vision should also aspire to increased opportunities for nature to expand and flourish. It would also be useful to embed the terms “Natural Capital” and “Ecosystem Services” at this early stage in the document.
It would appear current plans cover areas to the south of the Bushmead Rd. Is LS Airfield and surrounding areas likely to be developed (Cambs/Hunts area??) if so, to what extent, in light of the wish list for St Neots expansion in Bedfordshire? Any expansion would severely impact on the rural area and significant infrastructure would desecrate the area.
The Draft Vision states that Bedford will become greener and more sustainable. That aspiration needs to be met by a clear understanding that the previous plan’s strategy of allocating large estates to villages had the opposite effect as it has driven up car mileage: to the extent that this remains among the options this Draft Vision is just empty rhetoric.
Hallam considers that the draft vision is constrained at present by the absence of a preferred strategy for growth. Spatial elements of the vision are focused on Bedford Town Centre. As a development strategy emerges, we would expect the vision to be more spatially relevant in setting out the priorities for growth at more well defined locations across the Borough to provide an appropriate context for the development strategy, the distribution of housing growth, employment and more detailed policies. With reference to the final paragraph on good design, the focus on sustainable neighbourhoods implies sustainable developments in Bedford and Kempston and in village communities. Such a focus needs to be more holistic and not just about design, but also supporting development with adequate infrastructure development. As such, Hallam considers that the Vision should be that by the end of the plan period, major strides will have been made to greatly enhance the sustainability, infrastructure and quality of life of existing communities through the opportunities delivered for sustainable development in and at existing communities. The focus therefore, should be on sustainable communities not sustainable developments.