Object

Representation ID: 8864

Received: 29/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Alison Myers

2. Impact of East - West Rail on Housing Location 3.16
The decision selecting the preferred route is expected in early 2022. A station is not planned to the north of Bedford, although part of the sustainability credentials of Dennybrook is that it is within cycling distance of a potential station at Tempsford ( yet to be decided).
The provision of the Wixams Station and relocated or enhanced stations to the south of Bedford will support sustainable travel and so Growth Option 2a is my preferred option.
However, this option does bring concerns regarding the scale of growth which would be acceptable in the rural areas ,such as Kempston Rural , Cotton End . Wootton can surely have little extra capacity for sustainable growth.
It has been a concern to see reference to a Bedford North Parkway type station in the traffic modelling undertaken by Aecom for the Borough - e.g. for Dennybrook.
3. New Settlements 3.16
I am opposed to both of the new settlements proposed.

Dennybrook : this settlement would function as an outlier of St Neots rather than a part of Bedford Borough. The site lies on Grade 2 BMV land, with a small parcel of Grade 1. I understood that the previous site put forward was discounted on land quality grounds. Development of BMV land is contrary to NPPF Chapter 15,Praragraph 170 ,or as updated. Bedford Borough Council should support the agricultural economy and British food security and not support extensive growth on high quality land.

The Chawston/ Staploe/ Bushmead area is characteristically tranquil and highly rural , with the narrow lanes and rights of way important for recreation. The brooks , hedgerows and small woods are important wildlife corridors. The impact of traffic. lighting and built form are incongruous for this area. St Neots is expanding to the east - this new settlement would be isolated by the A1 and A421.

The impact of traffic which would arise from Dennybrook is a major concern for me. The rural lanes in this area are very narrow - and many have verges of high floristic value - which would over time be degraded by over-running of vehicles , or just subsumed by the development.
I am also very concerned about the increase in traffic which would occur through Ravensden, Wilden, Renhold and Thurleigh. Our lanes are already "rat -runs" , junctions cannot cope, pedestrian, horseriders and cyclists would be at greater risk.
Projections for Dennybrook to become a town of 10,000 plus is totally unacceptable - a village is one entity, a town is not appropriate.

Little Barford - little information is available. In terms of landscape character, the area is distinctive with pastures, woodland and the Ouse Valley. The landscape is very open - any development would be intrusive and would require extensive integration. Again, the development would relate more to St Neots than to Bedford Borough.

Both developments would urbanise countryside which acts as the rural fringe to St Neots.

3. Growth north of Bedford 3.16
The long-term axis for growth has been to the south of Bedford. I support this approach as the more open vales to the south are more able to assimilate growth.

I am concerned that all growth options include for "Development in and around the urban area " . Ravensden has the newly permitted Ravensden Park development, which will be integrated with parkland and new woodland.
Additional potential urban edge sites, such as the Salph End site off Hookhams Lane, Renhold and Ravensden Road, ( recently dismissed at Appeal ) offer limited scope for development before the traffic impacts and landscape impacts would be highly damaging.

I support the use of brownfield land for development e.g. at Twinwoods but the scale of development would need to be appropriate to the village setting.
The potential runway at Thurleigh seems to me to be a national asset which requires to be safeguarded from development.

4 Growth within Bedford 3.16
Brownfield sites within the town - which have developed a varied vegetation can be extremely important for biodiversity. These sites need to be fully assessed before any decisions for redevelopment are made. Ecological value will limit the scope for development in view of the net gain requirement. As a former resident of Cauldwell Ward I was very appreciative of the areas of open land - such as the former railway corridor and the open spaces at St John's and , some of which have been developed for housing and carparking. Intensification within urban areas must not be at the expense of wildlife corridors and spaces for trees.
The redevelopment of the large retail centres provides a more sustainable solution.