Object

Representation ID: 8853

Received: 29/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Alex Simpson

Agent: Bidwells

The Development Strategy Topic Paper states that the existing urban area, the A421 corridor and rail-based locations were the most popular options for growth at the Issues and Options stage. The Sustainability Appraisal identified that urban growth and urban edge growth are the most sustainable approach to new development.
5.2 Chapter 3 of the consultation document states that the Council will seek to make use of both larger and smaller sites as employment sites. As a result, a large number of sites will need to be allocated in order to meet the identified employment land requirement for Bedford Borough.
5.3 Of the large number of the sites that have been submitted for consideration by Bedford Borough as potential development sites, the majority are being promoted as residential housing sites as opposed to employment land.
5.4 The four Growth Options put forward by the Council all intend to deliver up to 51 hectares of employment on the edge of Bedford. However, development on the edge of Bedford is constrained as a result of issues such as landscape, topography, flood plain and potential coalescence with smaller settlements thereby limiting the number of available locations for further growth. There is also a pressure to deliver residential development within and on the edge of Bedford also and many of the available sites will be more suited to this use. The Council should therefore give greater consideration as to how sites that are located outside of Bedford itself can meet employment needs.
5.5 A finer grain assessment of site availability and suitability should be undertaken in order to inform the development strategy. This assessment will undoubtedly identify that there is a greater level of potential land available for employment growth along the whole of the A421 corridor, including at Cotton End where a mixed-use allocation has the potential to build on existing employment uses in the area, such as that provided at Cardington Hangers.
5.6 The A421 has seen considerable growth in employment floorspace over recent years due to its central location in the Oxford to Cambridge Arc and proximity to the M1. In the future, the demand for logistics space will remain given the growth being experienced in online sales and the significant investment being put into improvements to the A428.
5.7 Road improvements to the A428 / Black Cat roundabout and East-West Rail are key infrastructure investments in the area which are to occur over the plan period. They will provide important connections between Oxford and Cambridge as well as links to the wider train network. Opportunities for growth associated with this significant investment should therefore be capitalised on. The provision of a mixed-use development at Cotton End is therefore ideally located to maximise these opportunities and attract significant investment to the Borough.
Summary
The Council should include a suitable buffer for the amount of employment land requirement in order to create flexibility in the supply.
● The wider economic aspirations of National Government given Bedford Borough’s prominent position at the centre of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc need to be planned for.