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Representation ID: 6626

Received: 14/09/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Taylor Wimpey

The Strategy Options consultation document sets out that the standard method figure for Bedford Borough is 1,275 dwellings per year or 25,500 dwellings in total. It goes on to state that after existing commitments are taken into account, the Local Plan 2040 needs to allocate land to provide an additional 12,500 new dwellings over the plan period. There are a number of considerations which suggest this figure should be higher.
Firstly, it needs to be recognised that the 25,500-home requirement is the minimum number of homes that need to be delivered over the plan period. To ensure this figure is delivered, there Local Plan will need to build in suitable flexibility and contingency in the land supply by way of over allocation of land to allow for slippage in the expected delivery of sites and any unforeseen delays.
An additional allowance of around 10%, which would equate to a further 2,550 homes, would be the minimum contingency that should be built into the land supply – the figure should be higher if there is a greater risk of slippage in the delivery of sites.
There is reference to choice and flexibility in paragraph 1.50 of the consultation document. However this simply relates to potential neighbourhood plans which should not be relied upon to deliver the Council’s housing requirements. Such neighbourhood plans are an unknown and it is essential that the Local Plan plans for in excess of the required 25,500 to ensure the minimum number of homes are delivered.
Secondly, it is unclear whether the allocations in emerging Neighbourhood Plans are included as commitments. There are a number of Neighbourhood Plans at examination with allocations to satisfy the requirements of the adopted Local Plan 2030. There is a chance that some of these Neighbourhood Plans will not be made which could add to the need for the Local Plan to plan for further additional growth – if two to be made are not, this would add 1,000 homes to the requirement, which may have implications for the proposed strategy.
Finally, the Local Plan should give greater consideration to the emerging aspirations for the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, where Bedford Borough sits in a key central area. To realise the economic benefits of the Arc it is likely that additional housing will be required above the Local Housing Need figure to support a growing working age population. Given Bedford’s central position with good access to both Milton Keynes and Cambridge, it is likely to be a key area of demand for housing. Therefore, it is suggested that the implications of this demand are explored further which may lead to the need for additional housing to be planned to avoid negative impacts on existing communities, including worsening affordability.
As set out in the accompanying Vision Document, Denybrook has the opportunity to deliver up to 4,000 new homes to 2040 and approximately 7,000 new homes and the associated infrastructure such and schools, health care and local centres in both cases.