Object

Representation ID: 8376

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Bedford Borough Councillor

Our vision would be for a Borough that aims fundamentally for increasing wellbeing, and particularly for the most disadvantaged: by contrast, the draft aims fundamentally for increasing the rate of economic activity, whether or not that activity is consistent with the other elements of wellbeing, and whether or not that activity worsens inequality.
We welcome the early mention in the document and apparent high priority given to “Tackling climate change and adapting to and mitigating its effects”. However, if the council “has pledged to incorporate the carbon neutral ambition into all Council strategies, including the Local Plan 2040”, this Plan should include policies consistently written in ways that pay more heed to the climate emergency than those revealed in this document. Detail is needed on how to meet the ambition of “Bedford [being] a net zero carbon emissions borough whilst improving, enhancing and creating green infrastructure and spaces”. Such detail is very notably absent. Unless there are major amendments this document will be a massive missed opportunity. All told, our assessment is that this document does nothing like enough to meet that aim of tackling climate breakdown, adaptation and mitigation, nor is it consistent with the non-economic elements of wellbeing, or promoting equality.

Among the “Vision and Objectives” actually listed, wherever infrastructure projects actually are roadbuilding, we reject that as an appropriate means to attract “new business through the completion of significant infrastructure projects”. Attracting business by roadbuilding is fundamentally contrary to the requirements of getting to net zero, and using “infrastructure” to disguise the promotion of roadbuilding is deception of a sort that the council should not be indulging in. Put simply, roadbuilding works against the more fundamental aim of “Tackling climate change and adapting to and mitigating its effects”. Further, there is a tendency for businesses attracted by roadbuilding to be in locations that are difficult for potential employees to access except by cars, restricting employment to those with access to cars (when some cannot afford cars, increasing numbers live in properties without car parking, and others have impairments such as visual impairments and epilepsy that preclude driving). Thus, attracting businesses by roadbuilding can worsen inequality.
The overall lack of ambition is, in part, seen by talk in the “vision and objectives” of High Street businesses only being retailers. A visionary approach to the High Street would include attracting repair businesses, as well as combined production/retail spaces such as artists’ studios and artisan bakeries. Moreover, the better part of the objective, making it “a more enjoyable place, where … people choose to linger” will require policies to encourage non-retail development, including (daytime) performance spaces and opportunities for free recreation, yet these policies are absent.
Talk of “Additional town centre living” would be welcome, but this needs to be town centre living with sustainable transport, which implies better cycling provision than current Plan 2030 policies, yet there is no proposal for relevant better policies, and as already mentioned, businesses attracted to locations that are difficult for potential employees to access except by cars will exclude those living in the town centre, at a time when town centre employment is reducing. Again, the words of the “Vision and Objectives” sound good but are not reflected in detailed policies that will actually meet the good ambitions.
Unusually with respect to walkable neighbourhoods, we don’t even get what might notionally be called significant ambition in the “Vision and Objectives” – “More” is an incredibly weak word. A visionary objective would be that the norm will be walkable neighbourhoods. It is only when neighbourhoods being walkable becomes the norm that significant reductions in car use for such local journeys becomes realistic.
We are disappointed that talk of the River Great Ouse valley is related to parkland. We need, as a council, to put more emphasis on protecting and increasing biodiversity in the valley (as well as more broadly in the Borough).