Support

Representation ID: 6627

Received: 14/09/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Taylor Wimpey

Taylor Wimpey are generally supportive of the Council’s propose approach to allocation land for development, with the options focusing generally on Bedford, the transport corridors to the south of the town and the proposal for a new settlement(s).
The Development Strategy Topic Paper indicates that the A421 corridor, urban area and rail-based options set out at the Issues and Options stage were the most popular options for those who commented.
We also note that the SA process showed that the A421 corridor and rail-based growth options performed favorably against the new settlement options with only urban growth and urban edge growth performing better in sustainability terms. However, in general, the SA does not appear to indicate that there is a significant amount of difference in the sustainability of the options under consideration.
We consider that greater clarity is needed as to the realism of deliverability of a number of the strategy options still under consideration. Whilst we agree that the final strategy is likely to be a combination of each of the options, there appear to be a number of difficulties in delivering the numbers assumed from each area. Indeed, it is noted that at paragraph 3.11 of the Housing Topic Paper that the targets for the urban area are ‘deliberately ambitious’, which suggests that the 3,000 homes assumed for Bedford town may not be realistic.
Whilst growth in and around the urban area is clearly a sustainable option, particularly given Bedford is the main centre for services and facilities in the area, there are a number of constraints around the town (landscape, flood plain, potential coalescence to name three) which mean that development will be difficult in the area.
There may be small scale opportunities in the town, but the delivery of 1,500 homes will be a challenge as will finding suitable sites for a further 1,500 homes on the edge of Bedford – which is effectively limited to the north/north east of the town.
These constraints increase the importance of looking closely at the deliverability of the other options including the transport corridors and opportunities for new settlements.
Whilst we are supportive of the role of the A421 is supporting growth and development and considered that the quantum of growth in the corridor is realistic moving forward. However, we do have some concern regarding the ambition for up to 7,500 (alongside up to 80 hectares of employment land in the ‘rail based growth parishes’ to the south of Bedford, as is proposed in option 2a.
This level of residential growth does not appear to be realistic when consideration is given to the sites submitted in the area through the call for sites, which have been promoted for employment use. Even the lower level of growth in this area (5,500 homes) is likely to be undeliverable.
Given there are also capacity constraints with the delivery of significant development in and around Bedford town, this indicates that the options which require a new settlement should be looked at favorably. Whilst we suggest that the two settlement option (2c), which is at the expense of allocations in and around some of the existing settlements, is unlikely to be realistic given the impact this would have on the short term delivery of housing in the area, a single new settlement should form an integral part of the strategy.
A new settlement at Denybrook would complement the allocation of a range of small/medium sized sites around Bedford and other settlements in the A421 corridor, that would help to meet immediate housing need. Whilst we would expect a new settlement option to be built out by the end of the plan period (if not shortly afterwards), depending on its final capacity, such an allocation would fit with the revised expectations in the NPPF that allocations within an area with strategic scale growth should be set within a longer-term vision for the area. Therefore, whilst the delivery of a new settlement may extend beyond 2040, it is important that the expectations are set out now to allow wider plans – both short term and in the longer term to factor in the contribution it will make to housing and employment land supply, and on the infrastructure of the area.
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