Support

Representation ID: 7169

Received: 17/09/2021

Respondent: Davison & Co (Barford) Ltd

Agent: Phillips Planning Services

None of the preferred growth option include any particular focus on leisure and tourism, and the Plan does not contain much commentary about the potential tourism development can offer for supporting a diverse local economy, bringing employment and benefits to the wider town. Our clients land known as Great Barford Lakes (Site 744) provides an opportunity for a leisure use driven by tourism which comprises of a hotel and lodges based around water-based recreation on the lake, and the River Great Ouse. The site is located close to the A21 junction outside Great Barford.
Pre-application discussions were held many years ago on the potential of a speculative application. The reason this did not move forward was the perceived risks involved in progressing a planning application with no clear policy support for tourism application. Hotel provision is defined as a “town centre use”, and yet it is evident that hotel provision must address locational needs and desires to attract customers.

As the Town Centre policy framework is rather narrow in scope, we would encourage the Council to consider a broader economic vision, within the context of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. With economic and population growth will come the commensurate increase in leisure and recreation; as well as drawing in consumers and visitors from outside the Arc. We believe the emerging growth options should therefore include for tourism related development, or preferably consider allocating leisure and tourism opportunity sites.