This area is unsuitable for employment.
▪Elstow is a unique, historic village and a business park will destroy its identity. It is important Elstow remains rural. Elstow is recognised world wide for its association with John Bunyan and this must not be lost.
▪Together with the proposed housing development there is a real concern that Elstow will coalesce with Bedford and become urbanised.
▪Warehousing on the A6 is visible and overbearing. Large warehousing even closer to the village will be appropriate and overbearing in height to nearby settlements. Elstow will become urbanised.
▪A Business Park of this large scale in such a rural setting is out of keeping and will have major negative visual impact for all residents of Elstow.
▪The Highways are already significantly congested both on the A6 and A421. Additional traffic from a Business Park will exacerbate this congestion considerably.
▪There appears to be 2 Entrances/Exits identified on the plan; both are inappropriate and dangerous. Traffic speeds across the A421 roundabout and the entrance is very close to this busy roundabout. The other entrance on Wilstead Road is close to a bend and will bring excessive traffic into the village. It should be noted there is a No Entry sign for vehicles over 7.5 tonnes in order to protect the village from damage particularly past listed cottages and the conservation area of the village.
▪Elstow village roads are unsuitable for additional traffic from a Business Park; children walk or cycle to school and Wilstead Road is well used by all residents for leisure, school and employment.
▪Unsuccessful delivery of site EMP6 - the land identified here formed part of Allocations and Designations Land at Medbury Farm. It has not been delivered and it is unreliable in terms of deliverability.
▪Setting a precedent -allowing this development will allow future planning requests for further Business or Housing and this area will be subsumed in the A6/Bedford development. The village of Elstow will be lost for ever.
▪This area consists of Grade 2 agricultural land and is considered to be BMV land and according to National Policy, should be protected from significant, inappropriate or unsustainable developments.
▪Dark skies policy- Elstow has always objected to street lamps from the Elstow Brook bridge to the A6. The Dark Skies Policy will be destroyed by lighting which will form part of the Business Park.
▪A 20.4 hectare Business Park is essentially urban in character. Warehousing overbearing in height will be totally out of keeping in a historic rural environment.
▪There will visual and noise pollution for all residents in Elstow if this Business Park is permitted.
▪Any construction will impose unacceptable levels of noise and disturbance to residents.
▪This site is unsustainable. It is not close to any existing services and facilities.