Question 12

Happy with current policies

I worry about the first urban option in the event of more covid 19 outbreaks. big urban developments not unlike those opposite the hospital are a hotbed for crime and disease frankly

no comment

I would like to see a formal undertaking to protect the rural nature of the north eastern part of the county, which still has open countryside and strong biodiversity based on a habitat rich environment

.

In my very limited experience, planning authorities roll over and accept any work that is carried out without permission. It doesn't;t matter what the policy says if you don't enforce it.

They are used tactically rather than being organically developed. There is a bias to large scale developments with very limited planting or environmental materials used and an active rejection of small scale developments that offer a better landscape and construction base. The current head of planning enforces personal opionions

I appreciate that the town needs to grow & I've already stated ways in which it could grow in a more sustainable, greener way. But the council needs to keep trying new, innovative ways of being 'green' which help our local population to do the same & protect their life in Bedford as well.

We need more tree planting in urban areas - the benefits of this are many and well-documented. Unfortunately, I only ever see trees in my area being chopped down. I think people would be happier walking around the town centre and surrounding areas if there were more trees, not to mention the cooling effects, reduction of pollution. More care needs to be taken over communal areas and providing habitats for wildlife, some of our areas a bit over-manicured, I am sure there are more wild-life friendly ways of making flower beds still look stunning.

We need more tree planting in urban areas - the benefits of this are many and well-documented. Unfortunately, I only ever see trees in my area being chopped down. I think people would be happier walking around the town centre and surrounding areas if there were more trees, not to mention the cooling effects, reduction of pollution. More care needs to be taken over communal areas and providing habitats for wildlife, some of our areas a bit over-manicured, I am sure there are more wild-life friendly ways of making flower beds still look stunning.

Biodiveristy Animal care, particularly covering transfer to different environments and places: named contact information with a range of feeds available to provide immediate feeding. Workers with access to financial reserves to cover transport, feeding, watering and maintenance costs. Plant care: use of native species where possible. Ornamental species in parks and for at home.

I think that areas such as ancient woodland and natural open spaces are pushed very much to one side when considering new road and rail links. These areas provide a vital habitat for a huge variety of plants, birds and animals as well as helping reduce pollution.

No comment

As i have already mentioned - life is different now - we will not see a return to the 5 day working week and working from home will dramatically increase - homes need to be near places of work and shops

Before any development is even considered much more work on the area identified in respect of wildlife, wildflowers must be undertaken. Identifying an area first puts a firm mark on it which is difficult to remove. The developer knows how much money they will make from so many homes, before any conversation is held the ground work must be done first. Some natural wild places, ancient woodlands, ancient hedgerows must be preserved.

MORE GROUP ACTIVITY IN OUR PARKS BUT NOT RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES TO OUR PARKS!

N/A

Features put in plans need to be protected for life and not just a short period. Displacement of animals when building is not considered important and areas should be protected for this. If a new environment is created and brings in biodiversity, it should not be allowed to be scrapped at a later date when it suits the current land owner.

Individual sites need to be considered based on common sense rather than out dated views and coming from bias. Some rural locations do not effect the aesthetics and some developments cannot be seen from all directions. These sites should be considered and not because of one policy fits all. Local issues are not often considered by the inhabitants due to out dated views and a bias of views.

We need to stop thinking of nature and green spaces as separate areas to the rest of development (although large green spaces are necessary), but an integrated infrastructure that should permeate throughout.

Yes any change to rural villages from the status of ‘open countryside’ to ‘small settlement’ is inappropriate- other than individual infill plots - which precludes any ‘backlands filling’. Even then such plots should be made available to local residents / family and on a self build basis - to high environmental standards

As I said in answer to Q1, it is vital to create nature recovery networks to join up natural areas and enable wildlife to move through the landscape. This is a key aspect of enabling our wildlife to adapt to climate change. Even if this is not a requirement in the Environment Act, Bedford should do it anyway. Corridors like the valley of the Great Ouse are the key to this connectivity.

Stringent development controls should be applied in the new local plan review regarding Urban Gap and Urban Open Space. Landowners will always want to get the best income from their land which is to be expected. However, Councils not only exist to provide safety security and services but to also protect and enhance health and wellbeing for its population. The Rural Boundary is very distinct and delineates between different rules and policies on either side. On the Urban side the importance of Urban Gaps is a mechanism for supporting health and wellbeing and to avoid coalescence between settlements. Whilst it is recognised that the current Local Plan 2030 identifies these gaps and open spaces and offers protection by the policies AD41 Urban Area Boundary & AD43 Urban Open Spaces and Gaps, Is this enough? The third element of Pillar 1 in the Governments “Planning for the Future” ask Local Plans to consider Protected areas, covering areas such as Green Belt, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), Conservation Areas, Local Wildlife Sites, areas of significant flood risk and important areas of green space that justify more stringent development controls. As well as ensuring the policies protecting these areas are robustly carried over to any new local plans. Conditions already existing on past planning applications affecting the land, must also be rigorously enforced.

The Borough Council appears to be only to happy to sanction the destruction of woods and hedgerows to allow developers to make more money. An example is the destruction of the woods and hedgerows on the Fields Road South development in Wootton. I fear the Borough Council has little concern for the natural environment.

There seems to be too much development close to our river. There is too much noise from traffic for our inhabitants of new homes in particular. We need more green open space between developments to absorb carbon dioxide, encourage people to walk, cycle, enjoy the outdoors. Wildlife takes years to recover from new housing. 20 years down the line from when our house was built the trees are becoming established, the country park is a nature reserve and endangered species plus larks and many more animals (badgers, foxes) live on the golf course and use the well estalished ponds there. I walk my dog around the golf course and between the holes on the public pathways. As soon as golf courses opened after lockdown people (those new to golf as well as accustomed) went out to use them in droves. It was popular before and has been since, particularly brilliant for the young (it's very inclusive) and older alike. When the golfers weren't allowed the community used it to embrace space and nature and a breath of fresh air. It also looks lovely and for those of us not able to live out in the country, it improves our well being, giving us a sense of space when hemmed in by housing and roads. Green spaces, or urban gaps should be protected because they can only grow in popularity in light of recent events and must be included in further planning. They're needed close to schools so children who live in urban areas experience seeing and feeling the joys of the natural world. they're needed for sport and leisure and to encourage wildlife back to areas where they've been frightened off by development.

I do not know and cannot comment.

n/a

Not enough reference is made to improved flood risk and water resource management at the strategic level, for example linking up with regional water resource planning via Water Resources East. Lack of ambition and engagement at a strategic level may mean that Bedford misses out on potential funding via the regional water resource management plan.

Protection and enhancing of the natural environment is critical to ensure wellbeing of the local community and in turn, economic growth. Existing planning policies don’t appear to take into conditions related to previous planning applications nor do the policies take into account mechanisms for preserving the urban green space which will always be a possible consideration by developers and their agents. More stringent policies need to be in place to preserve prior planning conditions and the urban green space/gap and rural delineations. Current and future planning agreements should make the preservation of the natural environment (including the urban gap and rural delineations) an explicit requirement of planning permissions which cannot be overturned in the future unless extraordinary circumstances arise. These extraordinary circumstances can be detailed in a policy. Such an approach will help the Borough achieve its overall spatial strategy objectives and related policy areas.

The development of 249 house at Gold Lane, Biddenham breaches Policy 19 that seeks to maintain the green space between Biddenham and Bromham. Retention, expansion (to including the space between Biddenham and Great Denham) and enforcement of this Policy is necessary to avoid further encroachment into this space.