Site ID: 566

Support

Representation ID: 3480

Received: 25/07/2021

Respondent: Mr Peter Gell

Small development, so minimal impact on local community let provides housing in a locality with good transport links.

Object

Representation ID: 5092

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Ms Ginny Ford

This is an important green space for villagers as consulted in the green infastructure planning workshops and neighbourhood plan consultation. The site has medieval ridge and furrow - now a very rare thing in this areas of Beds, also a pond that supports great crested newts

Support

Representation ID: 8501

Received: 27/09/2021

Respondent: Gladman Developments Ltd

Gladman  are  promoting  Land  off  Bedford  Road,  Willington  for  residential  development.  The site is located to the south‐west of the settlement, measures approximately 2.33 hectares in size and can accommodate around 46 dwellings.
SEE ATTACHMENT FOR PLAN
The  site  comprises  two  large  agricultural  fields  (currently  used  as  horse  paddocks)  with  boundaries formed of wooden post fencing, hedgerows and trees. A small pond lies in the centre of the western field. The site is bounded by open countryside and agricultural uses to the north, and to the west beyond Balls Lane. To the south beyond Bedford Road lies existing residential development, and existing residential development also abuts the site’s eastern  boundary.  A  public  right  of  way  crosses  in  a  north/south  trajectory  within  the  eastern field.
The site lies adjacent to Willington which is a sustainable settlement with a range of services and facilities. The village shop and post office lies to the south of Bedford Road, adjacent to the site boundary. Within 2km of the site there is a primary school, public house, village hall, church,  recreation  ground  and  a  large  garden  centre,  along  with  blue  infrastructure  and  recreational facilities at Danish Camp. All these facilities are easily accessible from the site via safe walking routes along footpaths adjoining well‐lit highways.
Bedford  Road  is  served  by  a  busy  bus  route  with  half  hourly  Monday‐Saturday  daytime  services to Sandy, Biggleswade and Bedford, which provide for a full range of higher order services.  Frequent  onward  rail  connections  to  London  and  other  destinations  across  the  country are available from Bedford.
Willington is a sustainable settlement on the A421 corridor and can play an important role in sustainably contributing towards the level of growth needed in the Borough over the plan period. New homes and accessible open space in this location will also assist in sustaining and enhancing the services and facilities in the village as well as contributing to the local and affordable housing needs of the village and the Borough.
An Ecological Impact Assessment has previously been carried out to assess the proposed development of the site and its potential impacts on important ecological features as part of planning application 18/03161/MAO. To inform this assessment a desk study and range of  field  surveys  were  undertaken.  The  conclusion  of  this  work  is  that  no  impacts  are  predicted in respect of nature conservation designations.
The  Site  is  dominated  by  horse‐grazed  paddocks,  comprising  semi‐improved  grassland  currently in unfavourable condition. The site can be developed in a manner that retains areas  of  grassland,  bringing  them  into  more  favourable  condition  through  sensitive  management and proposed enhancement works. The development of the site would include the retention of important biodiversity features and the creation of new habitats.
A population of great crested newts has been recorded making use of a pond located to the centre of the site. Following consultation with Natural England, principles of mitigation can be established to safeguard this population alongside development, as well as to deliver wider  enhancements  for  biodiversity.  Such  mitigation  works  would  also  safeguard  a  population of common lizards and an ‘outlier’ badger sett, both recorded at the Site. Based on  successful  implementation  of  mitigation,  compensation  and  enhancement,  the  development of the site would accord with all relevant nature conservation legislation.
The  site  can  be  developed  within  a  strong  Green  Infrastructure  Framework  that  would  enable the enhancement of landscape features and create new areas of planting to provide ecology and wildlife benefits. Existing Public Footpath ‐ FP9 can be integrated within the open space provision within the site and provide linkages to the wider Green Infrastructure network and the existing built form of Willington.