Support

Representation ID: 5725

Received: 07/09/2021

Respondent: Odell Parish Council

Since the last plan it is pleasing to note that the current document appears to have been developed with greater strategic vision related to the wider infrastructure needs of the Borough and recognises that Bedford is now a substantial commuter location largely serving London employment needs.
We support the aspiration to be a greener, more accessible and prosperous Borough with the opportunity for all in the Borough able to take advantage of the betterments that such a plan will provide. Optimising the use of brown-field sites rather than development on farming land for new housing is strongly supported.
Odell Parish Council is encouraged to observe the greater strategic vision in the 2040 Plan than
that in the Local Plan 2030 and the Plan to 2035. Bedford Borough is at last starting to address
the fundamental challenges of a growing town, including its rural locations. It is however a
major strategic challenge for the Borough Council to ensure that the development of the
Oxford/ Cambridge Arc does not become predominant and disproportionate in the
determination of the expansion of the Borough.