Comment

Representation ID: 9870

Received: 28/07/2022

Respondent: Cambridgeshire County Council

The Council acknowledges the proximity of the proposed allocation at Little Barford to the town of St Neots in the district of Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire and would therefore like to make the following comments.

The County Council acknowledges the very early stage of the East West Rail Bedford to Cambridge section project and the reliance placed upon its delivery for the proposed allocation at Little Barford. The modelling for the Bedford Borough Local Plan is reasonable but there is an assumption that EWR will be in by the proposed future year horizon. The proposed allocation also appears to be reliant on the delivery of improvements to the A428 between Caxton Gibbet and the Black Cat junction. The Council is concerned about the transport, environmental and climate impacts of locating a new settlement at Little Barford, including from potential increased traffic on the A428 in Huntingdonshire and Greater Cambridge, should development come forward ahead of an East West Rail station, or in the event that East West Rail was not delivered. The Council would like to see an increased focus on active travel and low carbon transport in the new settlement, particularly for links into St Neots and Huntingdonshire. This would contribute towards the achievement of net zero carbon.

The Council would like to work with Bedford Borough Council regarding the proposed allocation of Little Barford regarding the impacts and any mitigation on the transport network in Cambridgeshire, particularly around St Neots. The Council is currently developing on an Active Travel Strategy for Cambridgeshire and this should be taken into consideration for active travel links into Cambridgeshire.