Object

Representation ID: 6359

Received: 10/09/2021

Respondent: Bidwells

Agent: Bidwells

Taylor Wimpey do not agree that option 2c, which intends to focus development on the urban area and create two new settlements in the east of the Borough, is a realistic option. Whilst acknowledging that there is scope for the inclusion of one new settlement in the emerging Local Plan, to include two new settlements at the expense of other options would be unsustainable and a highly risky strategy to deliver much needed homes in the short to medium term, particularly given the new NPPF paragraph 22 requirement for the strategy to be set within a 30 year, long-term vision.
Taylor Wimpey agrees that growth in and around the urban area is a sustainable option. However, given that Bedford is the main economic centre in the area and a built-up urban area, Taylor Wimpey question whether the 3,000 homes and an additional 51 hectares of employment land can be delivered in this location over the plan period. Indeed, there may be small scale opportunities for growth in the town, however, it will be a challenge to find land for an additional 1,500 homes over the plan period. In a similar vein, finding suitable sites for 1,500 home on the edge of Bedford will be a challenge. Development on the edge of Bedford is realistically limited to the north/north east of the town due to landscape, topography, flood plain constraints as well as the close proximity of the boundary of Bedford town to smaller settlements.
As a result of the above constraints in directing growth towards new settlements and the urban area, it is important to look closely at the development options for the A421 corridor and rail corridors, and establish these as an integral part of any future development strategy.