Object

Representation ID: 6340

Received: 10/09/2021

Respondent: Glenalmond Developments Ltd

Agent: Cerda Planning Ltd

There is a complex and inter related strategic plan making context to Bedford in light of the Oxford – Cambridge Arc. The Government’s commitment to the Arc in terms of growth, spatial planning and infrastructure is well documented, and it is regrettable that Arc wide plan making has been so significantly delayed, since the clearly preferred position is that the Arc should inform the Bedford Local Plan 2040.
Notwithstanding, we recognise the importance – embedded in the Local Plan 2030 – in Bedford progressing a Local Plan review and on balance it is appropriate that Bedford continues to progress a plan review despite the sequencing difficulties vis a vis the Arc plan making process.
In this context, we would strongly recommend that the Local Plan 2040 be the subject of an early review policy so as to ensure that the issue of sequencing with the Arc is quickly brought back in to line such that strategic/regional planning informs local planning. We recognise that the Local Plan 2040 will, under current NPPF requirements, be the subject of a 5-year review. However, this requirement may change through subsequent revisions to the NPPF, whilst the need for a 5-year review is not a binding whole plan review – NPPF paragraph 33 makes clear that the requirement is to “… review to assess whether they [policies] need updating at least once every 5 years”.
The Local Plan 2030 is the subject of an early plan review policy which the Council have accepted on the basis of strategic planning issues (in the case of the Local Plan 2030 issues relating to the standard methodology for calculating housing need). As such adopting an early review policy in the Local Plan 2040 would simply follow the current accepted approach to dealing with strategic planning issues.