Object

Representation ID: 8394

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Bedfordia Developments Ltd and Bedfordshire Charitable Trust Ltd

Agent: DLP Planning Limited

The emerging preferred options put forward by the Council continue to have an urban focus and the four variations all focus development on the urban area, A421 corridor, and existing and planned rail stations. This approach relies heavily on rail investment and also focuses growth to the south of the town, with very little growth planned to the north of the Borough.
2.26 Representations addressing our client’s interest elsewhere in the Borough endorse a ‘hybrid’ approach making provision for village-related development outside of the ‘east’ and ‘south’ corridor parishes. Reassessment of Option 3c provides an appropriate starting point for such an approach.
2.27 Within this strategy option the Council has applied arbitrary ‘one size fits all’ totals to Key Service Centres and Rural Service Centres but made no provision for a contribution towards the strategy totals from locations outside these settlements.
2.28 This is inconsistent with the approach to other strategy components where a more flexible approach is applied e.g., non-specific estimates of urban capacity. Utilisation of other appropriate sites would add flexibility to the strategy and reduce any of the harmful effects that the Council associates with testing non-specific levels of village-related growth. This includes incorporating defined settlements such as Felmersham within the testing of site options.