Comment

Representation ID: 10386

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Bletsoe Parish Council

The Parish Council does have some concerns and, in particular, in relation to the timing of housing growth. In this regard, policy DS3(S) identifies that over 62% of growth is profiled in the period from 2030. Whilst the reason for the late profiling of growth, due to dependency on the delivery of infrastructure is recognized, it is a concerned that delay in realising the development potential could affect the five-year land supply position with obvious consequences. A second concern is that the Government Guidance on the Standard Method for assessing housing need and calculating the housing target upon which the plan is based puts Bedford Borough in and anomalous position. The government is insisting that local planning authorities calculate housing targets through a formula that uses out of date data from the Office for National Statistics. This has a huge impact on the calculation of housing need for Bedford Borough and results in a massively inflated and unjustified target for future housing growth in this draft plan.