Support

Representation ID: 6649

Received: 14/09/2021

Respondent: Bedford Borough Councillor

TOWN CENTRE
5.7-5.29:
There should be a special conservation area for the town centre and an appraisal should take place to see which buildings positively contribute and which should ideally be replaced. This is important for establishing the built character visually signalling what kind of town centre it should be.
The town centre should be welcoming and have something for everyone, ensuring a variety of attractions for all age groups including a proper children’s play area. Currently there are inadequate facilities for families, but a play area would go a long way towards providing a family friendly environment.
We should deliver and promote a Clean, Safe, Secure town centre with free wifi availability.
Kempston is an undervalued and previously underinvested district centre. In addition to the proposals set out in the draft the Saxon Centre should be recognised as the heart of the community. New investment is required to encourage the sense of Kempston as a separate community with its own identity.
New Local centres where new residential development takes place these should be of sufficient size with a variety of offerings including, for example, a pharmacy to discourage unnecessary journeys. The aim must always be to ensure that, wherever possible both new and existing developments constitute “15-Minute Communities” with as many facilities and services as possible being within convenient walking or cycling distance.
Midland Road. A Special Area
There needs to be dialogue with residents, community groups and stakeholders to assess opportunities to improve the living environment in and around Midland Road and explore potential development. We acknowledge it has developed its own unique lifestyle, feel, character, with a great deal of shopping and leisure occurring in the evening. The business district of Midland Road between River Street and Prebend Street should be considered a Local Centre and developed separately from the Town Centre.
Parking
Given its importance to town centre viability, as emphasised by BID and almost all surveys of users, we are surprised by the almost absence of any reference to parking in this plan. We believe an accessibility survey is needed and the whole experience from car park to town centre and into shops should be reviewed to support those who have any mobility issues including, but not limited to, the elderly, wheelchair users and those with pushchairs / prams.
One of the town’s multi-storey car parks could support local retailers by becoming a collection hub for local purchases made on the internet. The internet pick-up point would encourage internet shoppers into town and support the very limited click and collect kerbside spaces.
Free car parking is a proven tool for retaining customers in declining town centres and providing two hours free every weekday, three hours Saturdays in the MSCPs with continuing free Sunday parking would provide a huge and continuing boost for businesses.
Where possible, parking bays should be widened to bring them to modern standards and there needs to be an assessment as to whether more parking will be required going forward.
More electric car charging points in the MSCPs will bring charging and shopping together giving the town an edge bringing visitors to use the town’s businesses while their cars batteries recharge.
Tourism and Leisure
Tourism and Leisure should play a larger role in regenerating Bedford and supporting surrounding villages. Bedford’s Borough’s hotels are the ideal base for longer tourism stays allowing exploration of attractions both inside and outside of the Borough.
Harpur Square should be the focus for events taking place in the town centre and the location for additional pop-up crafts and food stalls.
The Market and its offering, its look and feel are a key to the Town Centre success, uniqueness and vibrancy. Consideration should be given to adding a number of temporary individual wooden lockable pop up shed shops which handmade craft artists can rent during Christmas/Easter/ summer periods to coincide with planned town events.