Question 13
no
Have you got enough hospital capacity built in, and gps? I somehow doubt it.
no
no
Not that I am aware.
Look to MK for best practise in cycle lanes and access to family activity
Healthcare facilities need improving. Putnoe Medical Centre is amazing but is always under threat of closure - we need more places like this. Rubbish is disgusting (was bad before covid), people need educating on what happens to their rubbish and importance of recycling. Fast food outlets and supermarkets need more monitoring with their packaging as this causes most of the litter that the council has to pick up. There are still no-go areas in Bedford due to drug use and high levels of crime. These could be looked at. providing more youth friendly facilities would hugely benefit our community. Bike theft is a big problem and also needs solutions if more people are to be encouraged to cycle.
Really important to link with embassies and foreign commonwealth offices as many leave the country for health reasons. A mixture of private and public service provision. An overseeing monitoring body that checks services are operating okay and can provide support and advice if they aren't.
No comment
I am sure there is but I would need more time to consider this questions.
IT IS THE COUNCIL TO FIND THOSE OUT AND BRING THEM TO CONSULTATION.
The guidelines don't future proof peoples health. If a plan includes elements for health such as a gym space will be provided, it cannot be cancelled when it doesn't suit and should be supported and protected in the future. Again proof from the Great Denham master plan. If a golf course or gym or sports pitches are to be provided, they should be supplied and supported to be sustainable.
A well-designed, fully sustainable policy should address these issues.
Not sufficient weight is being given to Urban Open Space and the third element of Pillar 1 (Protected Areas)
Not at this time.
As long as existing green areas are protected - sports facilities and areas of natural beauty on people's doorsteps, close to schools and existing infrastructure
I do not know and cannot comment.
n/a
Positively planning for healthy lifestyles, limiting car use, walking, cycling etc
The Borough should have policies and guidance for dealing with permission in principle initiative recently announced by central government.
Policies will need to be agreed in the early stages of developing this plan and the Society hopes it will continue to be consulted on these. Specifically, retention and vigorous enforcement of Policy 19 is necessary to avoid further encroachment of the green space between Biddenham and Bromham. It should be expanded to include maintenance of the green space between Biddenham and Great Denham, ie to protect the current Great Denham Golf course from being developed. Re: the recent change to freeing up the planning process, the Biddenham Society strongly urges the authority to classify the remaining undeveloped land west of Gold Lane, plus the Gt Denham Golf Course, as protected areas under the proposed new legislation.
No comment.
To encourage access to green spaces don't build on them in the first place.
Adequate provision of public conveniences
No CPRE Bedfordshire comment
No
BBC’s policies should promote good and improved health, especially healthy eating and exercise to tackle the major national obesity problem. Our parish of Staploe provides many opportunities for exercise, walking, dog walking, hiking, running and cycling in safe off-road environments. These also improve mental health. It has been striking during the COVID-19 lockdown how so many people from the parish and from nearby St. Neots have taken up and enjoyed these pursuits during the period by making use of our local countryside. The Brown proposal for a new urban settlement west of St. Neots would destroy this environment and countryside to the serious detriment of residents’ physical and mental health.
The Council needs to enforce mininum nutricianal standards at all fast food outlets in the Borough
Its so dissapointing that the Major and council actually signed up for this additional housing. Under your watch, we have a concrete jungle known as the Wixams, which still hasn't had the train station built. This was supposed to be part of the development, and clearly shows that developers are only interested in profit and Bedford Borough Council don't have the ability to run large scale projects.
Commenting on the extension to St. Neots: • The area shown on the map appears to cover the parish of Staploe, Duloe and Honeydon. This is an area of fertile farmland interspersed with small rural villages. • This is not an urban or brownfield area at all. • The A1 provides a physical barrier between the town of St. Neots and rural Bedfordshire. Any development in Bedfordshire close to the A1 would be blighted by the significant noise and air pollution that the traffic on the road causes. • There is no infrastructure in the area: o Roads. The roads are narrow, minor and rural. They are unsuitable even for the current low level of heavy goods vehicles (mostly farming related) and are dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians. They receive little, if any, investment for maintenance and upgrade to modern standards. There are no roads suitable for any developments in the area. o Public Transport. There is no public transport in the area, other than one bus each Thursday allowing a 2 hour visit the St. Neots on market day. o Schools. There are no schools in the area. Children are transported by bus or private transport to other Bedfordshire villages and towns, e.g. secondary schools at Sandy and Sharnbrook, so children experience up to a 45 minute journey to school, twice a day. There is insufficient capacity in the existing Bedfordshire schools at all levels to support even limited development in the area. o Some children use schools in St. Neots. Given the significant developments already taking place in St. Neots, where additional schools are being, and are planned to be, built, there is no capacity for any additional children from any development in Bedfordshire. o Medical facilities. There are no doctors surgeries or pharmacies in the area. The nearest in Eaton Socon is already totally overwhelmed with a 3 week wait for appointments, so many people travel to use acceptable facilities further afield (e.g. Great Staughton, Kimbolton) o Post Offices. There are no post offices in the area. The nearest is in Eaton Socon. o Shops, pubs and other facilities. There are no shops, pubs and other facilities in the area. The nearest are in Eaton Socon/St. Neots. o Any new development in this part of Bedfordshire would either have to rely on existing facilities in St. Neots, which are wholly insufficient to cater for the increased demand, or would have to include complete new infrastructure, services and facilities in the development. Bedford Borough Council stated Pros – advantages: • The area is situated 13 miles from Bedford and will receive no support from services, facilities and businesses in Bedford town centre. This is not an advantage. • This is not an urban area – it is totally rural and has no infrastructure to support development. Residents almost exclusively use private transport. There is therefore no potential for residents to make sustainable travel choices (walking, cycling and public transport). This is not an advantage. • As there is effectively no public transport in the area, any development would require a significant investment for public transport to become viable. This is not an advantage. • The land in the area is not brownfield, nor is it underused. It is fertile farming land that supports a broad environmental diversity including some of the rarest species in the UK. This is not an advantage. • Growth in this area would require significant investment in infrastructure and services, far in excess of making use of, or expanding those in, or adjacent to, existing urban areas. This is not an advantage. • There are very limited employment uses in the area and there would have to be significant investment in infrastructure, direct business creation and associated retail and leisure to create viable opportunities. This is not an advantage. Other identified Pros – advantages: • None Bedford Borough Council stated Cons – disadvantages: • Growth in the area would be adjacent to St. Neots and beside the A1. Properties would be blighted by the noise and pollution from the road, especially if capacity increases in the future. Fertile farming land would be lost and growth would impinge on existing villages. This is a disadvantage. • Very high density schemes would be totally out of character and would negatively affect local distinctiveness. They would create noise and air pollution in an area of peace and clean environment. This is a disadvantage. • Growth would totally overstretch existing services and facilities in adjacent St. Neots and the existing local infrastructure would be totally overwhelmed. This is a disadvantage. • It is not known if St. Neots would support expansion in Bedford Borough adjacent to St. Neots, but given the existing total lack of infrastructure, services and facilities and the reliance that would be placed on St. Neots for these, it is unlikely that St. Neots would support this proposal. In fact it is absolutely surprising that such a proposal even be made without Bedford Borough Council apparently having the knowledge of St. Neots’ view on this! This is a disadvantage. • As noted under “Pros- advantages” above, there are no advantages to this proposal, so this rural location would not miss out on any perceived benefits associated with growth. • There are no details provided in terms of site sizes, so it is not possible to comment on whether restricted site sizes can restrict scheme options and opportunities to mitigate risk for investors. • Any development in this area will cause poor quality air issues. This is a disadvantage. Other locally identified Cons – disadvantages: • A high pressure gas line runs through the area that will limit development potential. This is a disadvantage. • Without significant investment in infrastructure, development in this area will encourage car use and create resulting levels of pollution. This is a disadvantage. • Development would require improved connections into existing urban areas in order to access facilities. This is a disadvantage. • Strategic-scale growth would have a huge visual impact on local landscapes. This is a disadvantage. • It would take a long time to plan and build a new settlement in this area, leading to short to medium-term housing supply shortages. This is a disadvantage. • Development would lead to an adverse impact on local landscapes, loss of agricultural land and countryside. This is a disadvantage. • Significant new infrastructure would be required to accommodate growth. This is a disadvantage. • Development would lead to a loss of green environment and biodiversity. As examples, the area currently supports the following: o The extremely rare Bath Asparagus, found only in two locations in the UK - this area and Bath. o Water voles, one of the 10 rarest mammals in the UK. o A large population of sky larks. o Barn owls and Little owls o Kingfishers o Large populations of buzzards and red tailed kites. o Roosting bats o Great crested newts. Development in this area would destroy many of the habitats enjoyed by these species. This is a disadvantage. • Due to the prevailing South Westerly winds and open countryside, the area enjoys clean fresh air. Development would lead to pollution of this clean air. This is a disadvantage. • There are no opportunities for employment in the area. Residents of a new settlement would have to travel for employment, which without a major investment in public transport, would be by car, increasing car use. Should residents work in London they would have to travel to either St Neots station or a new East-West rail station wherever that may be situated. The station carpark at St Neots is already full at 9am and has no capacity for residents from a new development in Bedfordshire adjacent to St Neots. Travel to these stations would again be by car, again increasing car use. This is a disadvantage.