Comment

Representation ID: 10262

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Central Bedfordshire Council

Policy HOU13 - Land at Gibraltar Corner
10.5 The submission local plan identifies that this allocation will contribute to the delivery of key green and blue infrastructure projects in the south of Bedford area including a section of the Bedford to Milton Keynes Waterway Park and the Forest of Marston Vale. These are both projects that CBC are supportive of - indeed, Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Councils have been working closely for some time with the Forest of Marston Vale Trust and are currently undertaking a joint consultation in relation to the Forest of Marston Vale SPD which will ultimately be adopted by both authorities. CBC therefore welcomes the proposed allocation at Gibraltar Corner and the resulting benefits that would also be afforded through this development to residents and communities within Central Bedfordshire.
10.6 However, whilst the submission plan identifies that this proposed allocation forms part of the wider South of Bedford Area, it is unclear how many homes would actually be delivered here. CBC would welcome clarification in regard to this as well as early engagement in relation to the proposed SPD for the site.
10.7 We would also welcome dicussions on bus routing, as this site will require a high quality link to deter driving to the future Wixams station. Presumably the bus route will be offered in parallel with parking management/ control at the destination end of the journey to prevent this.