4.86

Comment

Representation ID: 10105

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Mrs Emma Gentle

The proposed planning will destroy the character and charm of the village. Wilstead Road will be used even more so as a rat run for transport and it will be less safe for young children who live in the village and use bikes etc as the lorries will be more dangerous. There will be more noise pollution daily due to the lorries. The planning for houses will also make a need for more schools/ doctors surgeries where there is already a shortage of professionals in these.

Comment

Representation ID: 10166

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: N G Lester

Thank you for the meeting at the Village Hall and the refreshments.
I am just amazed at the proposed new development in Wilstead. Already parking to get to the shops and school is a problem.
The Bedford hospital is already very busy which would probably mean more of us would be sent to Luton and Dunstable Hospitals or somewhere else.
Building on arable land is unacceptable. We rely on this land for our food and we will have to import goods at excessive prices.
My wife and I moved from London to Bedfordshire approx. 40 years ago with our two children and have loved every minute because we have the freedom of the countryside.

Object

Representation ID: 10247

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Ms Tracey Hills

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

I wish to object to the current plans to build 2100 new homes near Wilstead on the grounds this development is unnecessary and will ultimately erode the community that exists within the village.

Wilstead is already suffering from lack of infrastructure with high volumes of traffic/parking issues and a lack of medical services so vital to people. We have lost our bus service on Sundays and with no late buses travelling to or from Wilstead, it just puts further reliance on personal car ownership.

The development is unlikely to have sufficient housing built to allow the current Wilstead youth to afford to remain living in the area. Furthermore, the loss of farmland would be indefensible.

Wilstead has a very strong community support network and after 28 years as a resident, I am very proud to say this is where I live. But to risk this unique spirit to be swallowed by a large development would be both heart-breaking now, and for the community of the future.

Object

Representation ID: 10353

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Leon Staszak

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

I am a resident of Wixams and already the council have failed significantly to create the self-sufficient community they planned. This has been done through ignoring the masterplan and now the largest logistics park in the borough has been put in our town without the required highway infrastructure. This has also helped to create a glut of low income jobs and there has been a serious lack of investments made in our community which would create economic prosperity for the future. We are also going to get fewer facilities than were planned, which were already lower than provided in other communities. These has been done through nonsense and suspicious arguments made by planning officers which warrant investigation.

In this local plan the borough want to build even more housing in an area which will suffer from serious issues due to the council’s appalling planning strategy and department. This cannot be allowed to happen unless there are significant changes make to the infrastructure plans for Wixams the the surrounding villages.

I oppose the building of more homes in Wilshamstead ward.

Object

Representation ID: 10359

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Geoff Tilford

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

I would like to register my objection to the proposal of the addition of 2,100 new houses within the Wilstead parish boundary contained in the Bedford Borough Local Plan 2040.

This proposal would treble the size of our village which would be a totally unacceptable change to the rural nature of the village setting.

The already exponential growth in traffic both through the village and on the A6 and A600 killing fields that sandwich and isolate our village will become intolerable. I have already been hospitalized twice in cycling collisions to and from our village, once on the A600 and once in the last three months on the A6. There is no joined-up cycling infrastructure in place now and I see no evidence of it in the plan.

Cycling on the A6 via Houghton Conquest is the only way for this Wilstead resident to reach his “local” GP surgery 6 miles away in Ampthill. Where services are already stretched to their limit.

There is no strategy under this plan to protect the quality of life of Wilstead residents only to endanger a wreck lives.

Object

Representation ID: 10383

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Ms Vivien Riddle

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

I am writing to object to the 2,100 new houses you plan to build in Wilstead in the 2040 Local Plan. May I say your communication is completely false by stating it is a Wixams extension when it is clearly within the Parish of Wilstead.

There is supposed to be a strategic gap between Wixams and Wilstead to preserve Wilstead. This plan especially the field that runs parallel with the newt area and the community forest compromises this.

A main objection is the amount of traffic large development of this kind is going to have on our roads. If you have ever travelled to Luton along the A6 at peak times you must be aware of the terrible queues that occur at Clophill, often back up the bypass. The plans for the changes at the roundabout can only make matters worse and there could potentially be another 2- 3000 cars travelling along that road. Then there is the Cotton End Road in Wilstead, which people travelling to the A600, especially from Wixams already use as a rat run. This development is bound to put an extra strain on an already busy road running through the village, past a Village School, Post Office and Village Hall. Then the A6 both to the A421 and Cow Bridge. Wixams is still extending meaning more traffic using the A6, imagine how many extra cars will be on the road from 2,100 houses where many families have at least 2 cars. South of Bedford could become almost at a standstill.

I also strongly object to Wilstead being a key service village. Your calculations are clearly wrong or misleading. We do not have a Doctors in the village, most of us have to travel to Ampthill for our Doctor. You state Post Office and general store, our Post Office is our general store and cannot be judged in the same category as general stores such as Co-op as in Wixams or Tesco in New Cardington. You include us as having a good bus service. That is fine for people living in Bedford or Luton Roads, but what about the people living down Cotton End Road there is no regular bus service servicing this area of the village. You also include the Bowling Club, which was built by the village people for the villagers and cannot see that the Council have any right to penalise us for having members of the village who are prepared to get off their backsides and do something for the village. I would be very grateful if you would look at your calculations and adjust them.

I can see that the development proposed for Sharnbrook and Twinwoods have been abandoned. Yet again the majority of housing is being planned South of Bedford and with Mid Beds development coming further North there will soon be very little rural areas South of Bedford. Perhaps this is what you plan.

Object

Representation ID: 10414

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Mr Geoffrey Odell

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

I OBJECT to the proposals in the Bedford local Plan 2040 on the following basis

1 The proposals would increase the houses in the village three fold from 1040 to 3140

2 The proposal wrongly identifies Wilstead as a Key Service Centre; this is based on Out of Date information ; ie
a) There is Not a resident Doctors in Wilstead
b) The bus service is Inadequate and certainly not "Full Marks" as stated.
c) The village post office/general stores is only one facility and Not Two as stated
d) The pharmacy is not available at weekends.
e) There is no High School (unlike Wixams)

3 We came to live in Wilstead 5 years ago because it was quite ; had many excellent footpaths throughout the village; many of which have great views of the countryside

4) Wilstead is a wonderful place to live, we have many local groups; this would be ruined by an extra 5,000 population using the same facilities

Object

Representation ID: 10423

Received: 13/07/2022

Respondent: Ms Dorothy Robbins

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

I object to the proposal of housing encroaching the village of Wilstead.

Object

Representation ID: 10432

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Mrs G Tanswell

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

I am writing in dismay about the proposals for house-building within our RURAL VILLAGE of Wilstead and I object strongly.
The character of the village in its unspoilt rural surroundings would be completed destroyed if these proposals were to go ahead, trebling the number of households here.
We already have Wixams (so called "village") on our doorstep and need to keep a green space distance between us to keep our village identity and avoid being subsumed into a conurbation. Two areas on your plan are erroneously named "Wixams" when they are in fact without OUR parish.
The impact of these hundreds of new houses would be intolerable. Our bus service is not reliable and there is none going east to west, and so inevitably car journeys would increase hugely on our rural roads, with a detrimental effect on air quality. The pollution and extra noise would destroy our quiet village life.
My husband and I moved to Wilstead more than fifty years ago, brought up our two children here and have one family with two grand-children here also. We have remained Wilstead people, appreciating rural life and friendships within the village community. I am fearful that, having already suffered the impact of Wixams (including increased traffic on the A6 as well as along Cotton End Road, Luton Road and Bedford Road) our comfortable village existence is threatened.
Now that we are getting older we are becoming increasingly concerned about GP provision as there is none nearby. most of the Wilstead folk we know are registered at the Greensand surgery in Ampthill which entails a car journey of over 8 miles. I understand the pressures on Greensand are already increasing with housebuilding closer to them. They are hardly likely to accept anybody else from our area. Where are they to go?
I taught for many years at Wilstead Lower School (now Wilstead Primary) and we were already stretched to accommodate pupils from the local area. In my experience the consideration of school provision is always left till long after existing schools reach breaking point. Our lovely village school would be no more.
My husband and I are keen walkers and regularly walk the 11 miles of FPs and BWs in the parish. Three of our footpaths would be immediately alongside the new developments, therefore not providing access to the countryside and the rural views we so appreciate. One of these three actually crosses the A6 which is already dangerous and would be even more so were these developments go ahead.
I wonder what constitutes a "Key Service Centre" in the Planners' eyes. Yes, we do have a small primary school and one shop/P.O. together with a pharmacy and two take-aways, but very little else. The lack of a GP surgery, or even a visiting doctor, and a decent bus service are dire problems.
I believe the CPRE regard any new housing development should improve the quality of life for the people of our county of Bedfordshire. These proposed developments in Wilstead will do the precise opposite. Our quality of life would be severely compromised and a village which has existed for well over a thousand years would disappear into a conurbation.
I feel strongly that with the Wixams developments on our doorstep we have more than shouldered the burden of the need for new housing in Wilstead. The Planners should think again.

Object

Representation ID: 10433

Received: 27/07/2022

Respondent: Ms Veronica Scargill

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

I object to the proposed Bedford Local Plan on the following grounds.
The suggested development sites would destroy the rural character of Wilstead as a village community. Wilstead Neighbourhood Plan specifically seeks to protect the rural aspect of the village, its green spaces sand enhance its heritage assets.
There would be a tendency to merge existing distinct settlements, with the loss of village identity.
It would adversely impact local countryside which is used via footpaths and bridleways as a source of recreation.
The proposed number of houses for Wilstead would treble the size of the village. The facilities which exist do so to accommodate the current population and would struggle to serve such an increased number of residents.
Traffic on the A6 is already at saturation point at peak travel times. Provision for cycling is inadequate and the public bus service is poor. As a result families use cars to travel to work and school, thus increasing congestion. It is vey likely that increasing the local housing stock would make this issues even more severe.
Wilstead as 11 miles of footpaths, and bridleways which are invaluable for both recreation and enjoyment of the abundant wildlife in the area. There is an active footpaths group in Wilstead which indicates the value put on these access paths. Developing areas around the village on green field sites would degrade the quality of the experience of using the access routes, which can be done on foot without use of a car.

Object

Representation ID: 10447

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Mrs Martine Edgar

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

We hereby state that we absolutely OBJECT to the further development of the Wixams on land East which infiltrates Wilstead Village itself and also land South of the Wixams at the south junction into Wilstead village.

Without the completion of the current Wixams ‘town’ (it cannot possibly be called a village going by the dictionary meaning of village!) and the associated amenities that were promised many years ago, Wilstead cannot and should not be infiltrated into its village boundaries by a new township and amenities. Wilstead would completely lose its natural rural surroundings which help it maintain its village atmosphere and community.
We, as the village of Wilstead were promised a green buffer and proper division from the existing Wixams development. The proposed site for the new one encroaches this and our existing green spaces.

PLEASE HELP IS KEEP OUR VILLAGE RURAL.

Object

Representation ID: 10448

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Sue Farr

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

We are writing with regard to the 2040 Local Plan , that is currently being considered.
Particularly in regard to the proposal to build a further 2100 home in the Wilstead Parish.

We are residents of Wilstead, and were horrified to hear of the proposal for such large developments in our rural village.
We were born in the village and have seem many changes over the years, but this new proposal will drastically change the rural nature of the village & put enormous pressure on infrastructure and already stretched facilities in the area.

I notice these developments have been incorrect labelled as ‘Wixams Extension’, but these are actually with the Wilstead parish , and would treble the size of our village.

We already have the large development at Wixams , and the area of Shortstown is increasing also.
These have resulted in increased traffic , noise , pressure on facilities, schools etc, and reduced quality of life within the village.
This new proposal will make this situation much worse, and result in a huge development , filling up precious green spaces .

Our village has few facilities , a very small post office/stores, a Chinese & Indian takeaway & a chemist, and a small primary school. There is no doctors surgery , dentist or other healthcare .
We wish to live in a rural village , our rural village , and not be forced out of the area, or have to live in what would become a small town (with Wixams so close on our doorstep).

We appreciate housing needs to be built, but it must be done in the right places , and not simply keep increasing existing communities.

Our main concerns are:
• Increased Traffic volumes
• Speeding
• Stretching heathcare facilities
• Pressure on schools
• Reduction in green space
• Increasing urbanisation
• Reduction in quality of life for existing residents

Object

Representation ID: 10449

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: S E Wright

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

I object strongly to the proposal to build so many houses in and around Wilstead on the following grounds. Wilstead is not a key service centre.
-The houses shown in the draft Local Plan as a "Wixams Expansion" are actually within the Wilstead Parish boundary on the other side of the A6. This will occupy land which has always been rural It will make a huge area of houses which will only be divided by a two land road A6. This will be a huge area of housing making the village of Wilstead totally joined to the Wixams, and create an enormous sprawl of houses.
- The houses proposed for Shortstown are right next to the Wilstead Parish boundary. This will join Wilstead, Cotton End and Shortstown. 1,000 houses will obscure rural vies on this side as well.
- The houses proposed for land from Long Thatch House will run close to the carriageway up to the woods. This is an area with much varied wildlife flora and fauna and is the best loved walk in Wilstead.
Wilstead is a pleasant rural village with its own friendly community and an unhurried lifestyle, enjoying country walks and safety for our children and older residents.
- There is on Post Office/general store. This is one small building with nowhere to expand.
- There is one small pharmacy which is not open at weekends.
- The doctors is only at the village some of the time as it is an off-shoot of the practice in Ampthill. personally I do not use this practice, as when we arrived in Wilstead in 1968 they were not taking on new patients. There were no buses to Ampthill so we signed up at the London Road surgery.
- The bus service down Cotton End Road was later cancelled.
- The bus service into Bedford is very poor resulting in more cars on the road, it already creates traffic jams at the busiest times and creates more air pollution. With an average of two cars per household the situation on the roads is unimaginable.
- I know that when the Wixams building first started the houses were advertised in London as a cheaper way of getting on the housing ladder with a good train service into London.
- Development here in a rural village should be for local people. Not a temptation to encourage city people. This is a rural village and should remain so with green rural spaces and the appreciation and respect of wildlife. We do not want to be swallowed up in a concrete jungle with risks of flooding and increased pollution.