Question 5
Well-planned roads so traffic is not too congested. Safe cycle lanes.
There is a lot of infrastructure that is broken or substandard in Bedford Borough, increasing new (housing) development will push this system further into decline. The road network is clearly substandard and in need of review. Many parts of town and even many villages are virtually inaccessible at various times of day. A comprehensive systemic review is fundamentally needed to address this. Bedford needs: A proper dual carriage bypass around the whole town. Dual carridgeing of major roads is also important. These roads must NOT have significant hosing developments impeding them as has happened on the laughable "Branston Way". Significantly better bus services. The advent of intelligent electric vehicles means that this should be p[ossible. It already is possible in better run towns and cities worldwide. Bus services cannot compete with school services in the way they currently do. Bus services must significantly improve or they will stay the preserve of the poor and elderly. Parking provision is poor and getting poorer. This is especially going to be important as cars switch to electricity over the next 5 years. Roadside parking in villages is not viable if there is growth planned therefore proper planning provision must be made. Cycling provision in the Borough is also very poor. In many villages cycling provision is woeful making this vital plank of a sustainable future unimaginable for many as it is simply too dangerous. E bikes are going to make a step change in the way people live and work around the world (they already have) Bedford will get left further behind without some joined up thinking in this area. Cycle routes that are safe, family friendly and accessible should criss cross the whole area. This will open up trade, commerce, ecological and health benefits. Train provision (especially parking which is part of the system) is clearly sub par. Any growth in the area must be backed by a very significant increase in provision. While it would be good to have additional stations and lines these plans are often pipe dreams of a future panaceas for the council who seem quite detached from the realities.
Bedford railway station needs to be easily accessible both from within Bedford (for pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles - and consider an internal tramway) and without (an additional Park & Ride site should be provided to the North on the A6 - bearing in mind proposed developments in Sharnbrook and Rushden and the likely route of the East-West rail link). An interconnected network between rail and buses (and trams) with frequent services would encourage more use of public transport.
A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet upgrade is absolutely essential. A link road between the A428 and A6 to the North of Bedford. Ultra Fast Broadband and looking ahead beyond 5G to whatever comes next (6G etc). This means the Borough being Nationally recognised as being the best location for Capacity, Speed and Connectivity. Infrastructure support for self-driving electric cars. The most recent Housing Developments in the Borough have poor access roads, generally far too narrow, and no where near enough Car Parking. To facilitate an Electric Car future Housing must include Car charging infrastructure.
Rail and/or Bus shuttle could link a southern transport hub/park and ride scheme to support both town centre regeneration and Wixams. Redevelopment around St Johns / Kingsway would enable easy access into the town centre, and not be restricted by the parking constraints around Midland Road. East-West Rail must take advantage of this transport hub and take a southerly route out of Bedford as Route B. Leave Midland Road Station to support North-South travel, and a Bedford South hub to provide a natural East-West link with easy topography and low cost civil engineering requirements. Quality infrastructure is needed to support residential growth. Post Covid-19 housing and employment demands my change significantly, so planning for new development requirement will be difficult until a stable equilibrium is re-established. Plans will need to be flexible enough to change direction and avoid being constrained by only solving yesterday’s problem. Rural key service centres were hit hard by the current local plan. Growth should be appropriate and in locations that benefit without negative impact on the area and its local transport infrastructure.
it would be great to fantasise about everyone cycling and walking, but the reality is that cars need to be built into the equation. Looking at new developments like Great Denham, where roads have been made dangerously narrow to 'encourage' slow driving, the experience is pretty unpleasant. This needs much more robust attention. The key ingredients of car use are typically work, school, food shopping, services (doctor/dentist/vet), leisure (eating out etc). Employment is too unpredictable to integrate, but putting in a hub of school / supermarket site / surgery / café (or similar) which happens early in the development rather than at the end will support new residents immediately adopting good habits - walking, cycling - and keeping car use down to the unavoidable
Increased public transport needs to be planned in to support additional housing growth alongside GP's and other supporting infrastructure along with options for reduced car usage otherwise the environmental impact will be substantial
Park & Ride near the A6 on the North side of Bedford - could be part of rail station car park
Improved rail links with London. In my experience, a great many people moving to the area do so to be in range of a London job, therefore rail access is essential. Although I would very much like to see an improvement to the road network in Bedfordshire, I think that the future will want more rail connections, and reduced loading of roads and therefore think that rail-based expansion is the best long-term plan.
Adequate health care (hospital facilities commensurate with the size of the population) Better public transport facilities and incentives to use them Reinforce the electricity supply to enable more charging of electric vehicles
Difficult to answer as they'll be different priorities depending on the size/speed of population increase, locations chosen, etc. However its important to learn from previous developments - eg, Wixams, Wootton, etc. Focus on expanding the community - not bricks & mortar.
There are any factors that would be require to support new developments Primary AND SECONDARY schools Doctors Public transport - bus lanes on A428 ie faster transport links Improved roads and traffic calming / average speed cameras Safe cycling and walking routes Superfast broadband to all properties
Sustainable transport options to influence positive habit formation at the outset. Also sustainable transport options in the existing town, such as enhanced cycle/pedestrian ways, to enhance connectivity. Support the vision's emphasis on green infrastructure: Bedford is renowned for its parks. It would be great to create more legacy areas, such as Bedford Park, not simply for human enjoyment, but also wildlife, managing climate change implications. Such areas could also be used to manage the impact of development, for example balancing ponds, trees for water absorption and so forth. Provision should be put in at an early stage not only to show commitment but as a way of improving lives and selling the town.
Just building new housing estates is counter-productive, and leads to a new set of problems. The priority should be for real affordable housing – social housing and smaller units – rather than the traditional family accommodation. The plan should be based around people not cars.
reorganise the borough into urban villages based around retail park areas, which can become self sufficient. This would mean locating schools and work centres near to these. The town centre could become somewhere smaller but really pleasant to visit as a day out, with specialist shopping and closely situated parking. The main infrastructure needed would be better public transport, and better advertised, with rain shelters, running much more frequently and longer hours to enable people to get to town more easily without using a car. There should also be a circular town shuttle bus, as most bus routes only run into town, and getting across town is quite a long walk, especially for increasing numbers of less able and less mobile pedestrians. A constantly running shuttle bus, walk on/off, minimal charge, always reliably there, could run one way st Pauls-commercial road- prebend st (for hospital) - borough hall- college and reduce need for private cars considerably.
Roads, hospitals, GP Practices and schools
A new development such as Milton Keynes not interfering and destroying village life. Utilising land such as the airfield at Thurleigh, building proper infrastructure in the beginning not upsetting village life as it is.
Ultra fast broadband . Good roads. Electric cars will take over from petrol and diesel so roads will still remain the vital links that they are today.
Infrastructure should be around community, so access to school and health facilities are key, as well as small business premises, cultural and leisure facilities. Routes suitable for electric buses should be developed as well as safe off road (but not hidden away) cycle ways. Adequate street lighting must also be provided for safety. There should be comprehensive access to the internet for all properties.
New primary road networks cannot be sustainable, and developments must be planned accordingly with alternative sustainable travel in mind:– a much improved station, increased bus infrastructure including direct routes like the bus/cycle/foot route between Great Denham and Queen's Park from which other traffic is excluded making it attractive and safe. There is a need for strategic development of a cycle network to link all parts of the borough to the closest town centre via cycle routes suitable for high-speed cycling segregated from traffic flows by physical barriers. This will require space for a higher number of user-friendly secure cycle storage racks that include some provision for non-standard cycles. There is a need for easy access to electric cars, EV on street charging points, and car clubs (such as in Bristol and Norwich) to reduce parking congestion. Leisure centres including pay-per-use swimming pools, community rooms, health facilities, local shops, schools are all part of the required infrastructure. Employment opportunities proportionate to and suitable for the development within 15 minutes walk of all parts of the development, as per Paris’ 15 Minute City model.
the east west rail link, upgrading the A1 and completing the upgrade to the A421 . add additional lanes to the A421 at pinch points and install intelligent traffic control measures at intersections to promote traffic flow and reduce queuing create dedicated cycle routes that are separate to--the existing highway network --and in so doing enable shorter and quicker travel for cyclists from these new urban areas to the train stations and employment hubs. This would also improve the recreational opportunities offered by cycling
Infrastructure is must precede rather than follow development. Cheap public transport must be a priority and road networks and facilities designed accordingly.
New primary road networks cannot be sustainable, and developments must be planned accordingly with alternative sustainable travel in mind:– a much improved station, increased bus infrastructure including direct routes like the bus/cycle/foot route between Great Denham and Queen's Park from which other traffic is excluded making it attractive and safe. There is a need for strategic development of a cycle network to link all parts of the borough to the closest town centre via cycle routes suitable for high-speed cycling segregated from traffic flows by physical barriers. This will require space for a higher number of user-friendly secure cycle storage racks. There is a need for easy access to electric cars, EV on street charging points, and car clubs (such as in Bristol and Norwich) to reduce parking congestion. Leisure centres including pay-per-use swimming pools, community rooms, health facilities, local shops, schools are all part of the required infrastructure. Employment opportunities proportionate to and suitable for the development within 15 minutes walk of all parts of the development, as per Paris’ 15 Minute City model.
Roads, bus lanes to include electric vehicles, community buildings, youth centres, free town centre parking for up to 30 minutes to encourage people to visit in the week
It is essential that existing natural capital (including GI) is protected and enhanced wherever possible to ensure growth improves the quality of life, health and wellbeing of local residents. It is also essential that new natural capital is established as early as possible so that more mature habitats and environments are established prior to occupation. This will also help ensure that the ecosystem services provided are performing at a higher level. Natural capital delivers vital ecosystems services for development, often saving money on developing harder infrastructure solutions through provision of flood regulation, carbon sequestration, water quality regulation, air pollution mitigation and many more. This will need to include: Quality, multi-functional greenspaces, including accessible green spaces and connecting routes for people and acting as corridors for wildlife. Housing layouts will need to be part of this rather than the green space element being treated as an ‘add-on. Adequate water resources, surface water management and water treatment. High speed broadband connectivity to facilitate working from home (reducing the need to travel) Renewable energy options at the household/community level Energy and water efficient housing (including where converted from commercial properties) Wherever possible existing development should also be retro-fitted to meet these standards.
LS does NOT have the necessary infrastructure to support any significant expansion. Over recent years there has been significant infill expansion and PDR for farm buildings to residential. There is a seasonal caravan park a farm shop and pub. No other support facilities exist. A single country road passes through the village supporting the farming community, and limited vehicles accessing the Airfield outlying cross country villages & access to Bedford and major road routes. Major upgrades to road systems would be required to facilitate any significant expansion to LS and would therefore have a significant loss of biodiversity and environmental loss to the area.
Infrastructure must precede rather than follow development. Cheap public transport must be a priority and road networks and facilities designed accordingly.
Improved transport links- particularly bus services from the villages
A local plan that considers the long-term growth needs of the Borough and can be aligned with the Oxford Cambridge Arc is fundamental for allowing for investment in infrastructure to be adequate and resilient. Provision aligned with a short-term plan period promotes the risk of securing infrastructure that will be inadequate and compromise the potential for longer term growth. Infrastructure investment in corridors such as the A6 must consider the long-term requirements and how they can be met and therefore, how projects delivered in the shorter to medium term can contribute rather than compromise future growth. As promoters of land at Clapham, Hallam considers that investment in walking and cycling infrastructure and additional support for public transport services will be able to complement longer term investment at corridors such as the A6, and therefore support a more sustainable pattern of growth. Longer term infrastructure planning will make clear the expectations for funding and for securing adequate investment.
The Respondent considers that Green Infrastructure is key to the delivery of sustainable growth in Bedford Borough. Development at BRVP, and specifically the water sports lake, offers an opportunity deliver a substantial and high-quality area of Green Infrastructure that will benefit local people as well as those from further afield. The range of activities the water sports lake could offers would provide a monumental bolstering to the range of amenity opportunities available around Bedford and would be a resource that could serve to support other development throughout the area. The benefits and importance of delivering Green Infrastructure is arguably more pronounced than ever by virtue of the continuing trend towards home working. As this trend continues to gather pace, accessible Green Infrastructure within walking distance of people’s homes will be critical to meeting their day-to-day amenity requirements. The water sports lake at BRVP will provide an attractive and enjoyable amenity provision within walking distance of Bedford and which will greatly enhance activity choices for local people.