Support

Representation ID: 7164

Received: 17/09/2021

Respondent: Davison & Co (Barford) Ltd

Agent: Phillips Planning Services

Our client supports the proposed development at Land West Of The Village Of Great Barford South Of The A421 which is being promoted through the Call For Sites process (Site 878) by Countryside Properties (UK) Limited. This site has the opportunity to act as an expansion of Land At Great Barford West which has an allocation for 500 dwellings in the Draft Neighbourhood Plan under Policy H1, and can build upon the infrastructure that will be delivered as part of the development of that site.

Our client would also like to draw attention to his land off New Road, Great Barford, which is being promoted through the Call For Sites process under Site ID 684. The site is available for up to 92 dwellings.

The Neighbourhood Plan was focussed on delivering a block of land to accommodate 500 units in a suitable location within the village to meet the required allocation. The New Road site was discounted as the Great Barford West site was seen as preferable. However, the New Road site remains a viable and deliverable option for further growth in the village. Should the strategy emerge and include further growth in Great Barford, and if the Borough Council, or the Parish support additional growth going forward to 2040, but wish to examine an alternative to land to the west, our client would highlight that the land at New Road remains available for allocation.

This is a very deliverable site on the edge of the village which could provide a smaller amount of growth. The site is within preferred strategy Option 2d, as Great Barford forms part of the eastern parishes of the Borough. Great Barford has excellent connectivity to the A421 transport corridor which is expected to see large levels of growth over the coming years.

Great Barford, is a highly sustainable settlement and is recognised in the Bedford Borough Local Plan 2030 as a Key Service Centre. The site is within walking distance of numerous services including a primary school, medical centre, a convenience store, takeaway, a post office, a church, and a public house, as well as multiple employment opportunities. In addition to this there are several bus stops that offer services into Bedford and St Neots, as well as the X5 service linking between Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. The site is therefore in a very sustainable rural location, and development of this site will contribute towards the long-term vitality of the settlement and viability of these services.

The site is on the edge village, surrounded by existing development, and can be developed to assimilate into the village without having a significant impact on the wider landscape.