2.2

Support

Representation ID: 6687

Received: 14/09/2021

Respondent: The British Horse Society

THEME 1.
“improving, enhancing and creating green infrastructure and spaces”

“Develop a strong and multi-functional urban and rural green infrastructure network through protecting, enhancing, extending and linking landscapes, woodland, biodiversity sites, heritage sites, green spaces and paths.
Improve access to green and blue infrastructure for the enjoyment and health of all.”

The BHS fully supports this as a key Theme for the Local Plan – provided that ‘all’ does include equestrians. The use of the word ‘paths’ may indicate a focus on footpaths and cyclepaths. I suggest that the word is changed to ‘rights of way’ or to ‘multiuser routes’ so as to be more inclusive.

Note that Bedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 91 iv. states that all new routes should be multiuser routes and dedicated as bridleways with a minimum width of 4 metres.

And the Rights of Way Improvement plan includes:
• At 5.2: Where possible all new routes created will be to a multiuser status (such as bridleways) where there are appropriate linkages of the same status.
• and aim 3.2c: Identify opportunities to increase the size of the bridleway net- work to provide more links and loops for circular rides.

As regards the health benefits of access to green infrastructure, research undertaken by the University of Brighton and Plumpton College on behalf of The British Horse Society has shown:
• The majority of leisure horse riders are women (90%) with more than a third being over 45.
• Horse riding and activities associated with horse riding, such as mucking out, expend sufficient energy to be classed as moderate intensity exercise.
• Horse riding benefits people with a long-standing illness or disability
• Active women raise active children.

Theme 2
“Encouraging sustainable travel”

“walking and cycling more attractive to encourage an increase in more sustainable and healthy modes of transport.”

I note that the Borough’s Active Travel policy was issued in December 2010 and has not yet been updated. It makes no reference to horses.

During the Parliamentary Debate on Road Safety in November 2018 Jesse Norman, Under Secretary of State for Transport, stated that “We should be clear that the cycling and walking strategy may have that name but is absolutely targeted at vulnerable road users, including horse-riders.”

It is now acknowledged that horse-riding is as much an ‘active travel’ mode as recreational walking or cycling. At the recent Parliamentary Debate on Active Travel in Westminster Hall, Robert Courts MP proposed that “horse riders…ought to be thought about in the context of active travel as well.” This was endorsed by Michael Ellis, Minister of State for Transport, who confirmed that “Active travel includes horse riders and bridle paths – this debate includes them.”


This has been recognised by other councils within the Arc. For example James Palmer, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor has stated in a recent transport consultation: ‘Active Travel – cycling, walking and horse riding: promoting active and sustainable transport like walking, cycling and horse riding are key objectives at a national, regional and local level.’ Cambridgeshire’s Local Transport Plan defines Active Travel as: ‘Active Travel: Physically active modes such as walking, cycling or horse riding.’

Bedford Borough should do so too.

Theme 3
“Improve the borough’s transport infrastructure in order to support growth in the local economy and to make the borough more attractive as a place to live and do business.”

The points made in response to Theme 2 as regards the inclusion of horses within the Active Travel element of the transport infrastructure apply here too.

In addition, there is an opportunity for the Borough to gain economic benefit through the expansion of its existing equestrian assets to encourage more economic activity in the more rural areas of the Borough. We have the potential to have one of the country’s leading equestrian competition centres within the Borough with the significant improvements and developments planned (subject of course to planning consent) at Keysoe International. This is likely to become something of a magnet for equestrians and could form the cornerstone of an expansion in the equestrian economy of the Borough.

Equestrianism is a popular activity in this part of the country and one which already contributes significantly to the local economy. Nationally equestrianism is the second most valuable contributor to the rural economy after agriculture – with horse owners requiring many support services from vets to livery to feed and more. Policies that encourage expansion of this economic activity, particularly within the rural parts of the Borough, would sit well alongside the policies to expand businesses within the identified development areas.

Theme 4
“Better places – Developing high quality, well-designed and beautiful places for all to use and enjoy”

“Support and create a high quality, inclusive and safe built environment which values local landscapes and settlement character, and which conserves and enhances the historic environment to be enjoyed by all.”

Again these are objectives that resonate with equestrians provided that ‘all’ includes us!

This theme might also include access to green spaces and green infrastructure as part of the definition of ‘better places’ – the wording in the theme seems to focus very much on the building aspect which is only part of what make a ‘place’ and a community.

Object

Representation ID: 8377

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Bedford Borough Councillor

As we get further into the document, we see more problems. Theme 1 claims to be “Greener”, but by 2040, the aim should not be merely “working towards” net zero. We should have already got there. Worse, within the theme, there is no objective about reducing energy use. Without such an objective, the talk of “working towards net zero” is empty words. The “Strategy Options and Draft Policies Consultation” falls wildly short of any claims to be “Greener”.

The relatively hollow words about “Greener” are even undermined by “Theme 2: More accessible”. The first objective within this theme 2, to “Reduce congestion in the borough” undermines being Greener. Reducing congestion should NOT be an objective. Reducing congestion tends to work against sustainable travel. The objective, rather, should be to promote a modal shift away from the use of motor vehicles, and if (but only if) that is sufficiently successful in reducing the amount of land needed for current congestion levels, the amount of land taken up by roads should be reduced. Similarly the aim to “Improve ‘first mile / last mile’ local connections to strategic infrastructure, allowing for easier access and greater integration” could easily be used to ‘justify’ actions that undermine the claims to be “Greener” – if this ‘first mile / last mile’ refers to transport, the priority should be easier access to and greater integration with public transport, cycling and walking networks, NOT the strategic road network, yet the proposed objective does not acknowledge that some sorts of ‘first mile / last mile’ connectivity are better than others, and some are more consistent with theme 4 than others. While mention of making walking and cycling more attractive is welcome, this objective fails to recognise that they shouldn’t just be made more attractive, they should also be made safer, at all times of day and night. The detailed policies needed to bring about safe networks of walking and cycling routes are notably absent from the document, including most glaringly the continued failure to provide adequate safe and segregated access for those cycling to/from the station.
“Theme 3: More prosperous” as written further undermines claims to be “Greener”.
The aim to “Support a stronger local economy delivering economic growth” has a fundamentally anti-green aim. Economic “growth” means ever-faster turnover of production and destruction, resource extraction and waste disposal. The council should, rather, be aiming for increasing wellbeing for the local population, which sometimes, but not always, is related to economic activity and thus growth. Where economic activity does not promote wellbeing (for example by causing pollution and environmental damage), it is wellbeing that should be pursued, rather than growth. Objectives that would be better for the wellbeing of the people of Bedford (and the rest of the world) would not focus so tightly on economic growth. Attracting and enabling high value businesses to prosper would be an appropriate objective if, and only if, those businesses actually work “for the benefit of the borough’s existing and future residents”. The assumption in the current objective that they will always do so is false, as witnessed by communities elsewhere that have been damaged by “high value” businesses (when that value is considered purely in financial terms).
Similarly, while it is a good objective to “Create a distinctive, attractive and multi-functional town centre for the future, with a focus on leisure, culture and visitor … activities, and high-quality urban living”, these should be promoted for themselves, with visitor activities not being the narrower “visitor economy activities” of the current objective.
The objective to deliver social infrastructure should not be limited to what is “necessary … to support growth”. Social infrastructure that promotes wellbeing should be an objective for its own sake.
It is good to see the value of improving “the borough’s transport infrastructure in order to … to make the borough more attractive as a place to live” is recognised, but making the borough a more attractive place to live and improving welfare should be the aims, rather than “to support growth in the local economy”, regardless of whether that growth improves welfare. Further, improvements in transport infrastructure to promote welfare should be concentrated on public transport, walking, and cycling infrastructure, in part to meet the requirements of Theme 4. Historically, compared to transport infrastructure for cars and lorries, public transport, walking and cycling have suffered massive under-investment, and much more can be done to promote wellbeing in the borough by concentrating on public transport, walking, and cycling.
Theme 4: Better Places is much more acceptable as written than Themes 1, 2 and 3. We note that practically achieving “a borough where everybody has appropriate access to high quality health and social care, as well as everyday essential services and community facilities” necessarily will require much better attention to public transport, walking and cycling. Not everybody can use private cars (for reasons including affordability and impairments). Thus, for everybody to have appropriate access, the utter reliance on private cars in many parts of the Borough must be ended.

Object

Representation ID: 8436

Received: 27/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs G Hunt

Agent: DLP Planning Limited

Theme 4 (Better Places) of the Council’s proposed Objectives for the Local Plan 2040 sets out:
"Provide appropriate amounts and types of housing to meet the needs of the borough’s urban and rural communities over the lifetime of the Plan making the housing stock more adaptable and resilient
Achieve a borough where everybody has appropriate access to high quality health and social care, as well as everyday essential services and community facilities where social and cultural wellbeing are supported, enabling all residents to lead healthy and independent lives.”
The principle of these objectives is supported but is reliant on flexibly supporting diverse opportunities for development across the settlement hierarchy. There are a substantial number of centres where the level of development identified is sufficient to secure the opportunities identified.

Object

Representation ID: 8493

Received: 27/09/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments Ltd

The  objectives  of  the  plan  are  shaped  around  four  themes:  “more  prosperous”,  “better  places”, “more accessible and “greener”. There is an opportunity to embed the themes and objectives within the wider strategic context, to shape the role that Bedford Borough will play in delivering the emerging vision and ambitions for the wider Oxford‐Cambridge Arc.

Object

Representation ID: 8511

Received: 27/09/2021

Respondent: Old Road Securities PLC

Agent: DLP Planning Limited

heme 4 (Better Places) of the Council’s proposed Objectives for the Local Plan 2040 sets out:
“Provide appropriate amounts and types of housing to meet the needs of the borough’s urban and rural communities over the lifetime of the Plan making the housing stock more adaptable and resilient
Achieve a borough where everybody has appropriate access to high quality health and social care, as well as everyday essential services and community facilities where social and cultural wellbeing are supported, enabling all residents to lead healthy and independent lives.”
The principle of these objectives is supported but in the case of Great Barford is reliant on confirming support for the allocation of additional growth given that the emerging Neighbourhood Plan will not deliver these aims.

Object

Representation ID: 8747

Received: 29/09/2021

Respondent: Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Agent: Barton Willmore

2.4 The Draft Plan sets out four ‘Themes’ that are intended to reflect the Vision, as follows:

• Theme 1: Greener;
• Theme 2: More accessible;
• Theme 3: More prosperous; and
• Theme 4: Better places.

2.5 Under each theme, there are a number of objectives.

2.6 Theme 3’s objectives include:

“Deliver the necessary social infrastructure to support growth in both the urban and rural areas of the borough.”

2.7 We recommend that specific reference to ‘healthcare’ is included within this objective, as follows:

“Deliver the necessary social and healthcare infrastructure to support growth in both the urban and rural areas of the borough.”




2.8 Theme 4’s objectives include:

“Achieve a borough where everybody has appropriate access to high quality health and social care, as well as everyday essential services and community facilities where social and cultural wellbeing are supported, enabling all residents to lead healthy and independent lives.”

2.9 We support this objective, including identifying access to high quality healthcare as an essential aspect of the development of “high quality, well-designed and beautiful places for all to use and enjoy” (Theme 4).

Support

Representation ID: 9038

Received: 04/10/2021

Respondent: Historic England

Theme 4 Better Places
We welcome reference in this theme to local landscapes, settlement character, and conservation and enhancement of the historic environment.,