Object

Bedford Borough Local Plan 2040 Plan for Submission

Representation ID: 9800

Received: 24/07/2022

Respondent: Mr Timothy Harris

Legally compliant? No

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? No

Representation Summary:

The proposal for housing in the South of Elstow HOU5 is harmful to the local area where my family has lived for 4 generations.
200 houses is a massive development when infrastructure is already lacking.
This would have a deleterious effect on the rural nature of Elstow as a village separated from Bedford for a thousand years.
The view of Elstow Abbey and the medieval fish ponds has appeared in numerous historical paintings and sketches as a perfect example of English rural idyll Old Church, River meadows, Hillesden Mansion ruins etc.Some of these are included in national collections including the UK Government Art Collection. This development would destroy those views from the West of Elstow forever.
It would be irresponsible for Bedford to treat one of its rural jewels and actual places that international tourists visit for with the contempt displayed in this proposal.
Apart from this major reason there are other considerations such as the pressure on transport with long queues at the Wedt End roundabout throughout the day. This would not improve.
This is a greenfield site with much wildlife which I know from regular wal,s having lived in the village myself for 29 years. There will be massive disruption to this wildlife if the proposal goes ahead.
The loss of agricultural land is unacceptable.
The levelling up agenda should see housing targets reduced for already overcrowded places like Bedfordshire and the South Midlands. There is no place for this type of speculative development away from towns, next to trunk roads and plonked alongside a historic rural village.
This would push development towards the Wixams and mean an unwanted joining up which neither community want.
This proposal needs to be removed from the local plan 2040 as inappropriate for the rural parish of Elstow.