Support

Representation ID: 3566

Received: 11/08/2021

Respondent: Mr Robin Elder

A. I regularly walk to the Town Centre and the quality of that experience is important (to me and others). A quality experience will encourage additional use and is most at risk from,
i. cycles, scooters and fast moving invalid vehicles using the pavements. In some areas (around road junctions) this has been legalised without due attention to the safety and wellbeing of pedestrians.
ii. sharing space with fast moving, road using vehicles.
I find little discussion of this in the Local Plan (for the Borough) which focusses too much on the Town Centre and new develpoments.
A. The Town should focus on the QUALITY of the experience not necessarily shopping. My comments here do not just concern the Town Centre but a walking distance of approximately 1mile from the Centre.

Bedford parks (including the Embankment) and playgrounds are a credit to the Council as is its support for cultural activities particularly at the Corn Exchange and Higgins Museum. Bedford needs to build upon these successes rather than compete for a lower focussed ‘footfall’.