Site ID: 977

Object

Representation ID: 4850

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Anne Netherway

Site in size and number too excessive!
Too many cars would be needed for transport
“Best” agricultural land plus Protected species in situ !
There is no shortage of development options for inclusion in the LP40 ,over 70,000 when approx only 12,500 are needed, PLEASE listen to the residents we do not want or need massive building plots “England is a Green and pleasant Land”!
There are alternative Brownfield sites eg Twinwoods ....
In conclusion this site 977 can not be considered ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND or SUSTAINABLE!!!!!!!!!

Object

Representation ID: 4863

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Mr David Netherway

Firstly the possibility of losing a massive massive area of best quality agricultural land impacting our food chain !????
Insufficient infrastructure...... starting from zero .....sewage water transport health education employment travel, COSTS and DISTRUPTION would be endless As would the effect on the wildlife
It has been mooted this site would be close to a possible new train station EWR
BUT this “station” would be on the other side of the A1 ! Wrong side of the track
Cars would be needed going against climate change!Plus more congestion around the Black Cat roundabout/flyover!
I strongly object to this site

Object

Representation ID: 4905

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Catherine Sharman

Please refer to all my points above with regards to the Dennybrook Garden Village

Object

Representation ID: 4906

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Gerardine Meola

This proposed site for a new settlement should be discounted.

The land is high grade agricultural land.

The surrounding area is not urban but open countryside.

Surrounding roads are rural - no paths, and through Duloe to St Neots (nearest urban area north) single track in places, with rutted verges, no paths.

Residents in Duloe would see unacceptable increase in traffic through hamlet.,

Potential increase flooding in St Neots

Spectacular elevated open views on Mill Road Colmworth to Begwary would be lost.

Being asked to consider 2500 houses, but transport models 2050 indicate 10,000+ houses, not clear and transparent.

Object

Representation ID: 4910

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Robert Sharman

Please refer to all my points above with regards to the Dennybrook Garden Village.

Object

Representation ID: 4965

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Kevin Morrall

This site is entirely greenfield and there are adequate alternative brownfield sites in the Borough.
Biodiversity at this site is already immense, there is unlikely to be any gain as a result of developing this site.
This site would not benefit Bedford Town or Borough due to its proximity to St Neots.
This site would expose the Council to unnecessary risk of not meeting government targets for completing homes on time.
The selection criteria does not support this site.

Object

Representation ID: 4986

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Anne Cattanach

Purely a greenfield, grade 2 agricultural site so against government policy
Risk of urban sprawl with St Neots. Risk of flooding. Roads in this area are largely single track. There will be only 1 access point on to A421/A1. It will totally engulf his tic and existing hamlets. The area is a haven for a number of protected species. Honey don’t has largest area of roadside nature reserves in borough. Major issue for utilities. Loss of identity for hamlets and Wyboston including LSA. We value our rural way of life which will be completely eradicated

Object

Representation ID: 5011

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Chris Zwetsloot

Development is on prime (grade 2) agricultural land.
No good road infrastructure for the increase in traffic.
Adjoining St.Neots so will not benefit Bedford town centre businesses.
The road west, Bushmead / St.Neots Road, through Bolnhurst and Thurleigh will have vastly increased traffic morning and evening and this road is in a poor enough state at the moment. Other Roads in the area are narrow or single track.
The area has many hedgerows that are important for a variety if wildlife and apex predators that rly on them, all this would be lost.
It would destroy the various rural communities.

Object

Representation ID: 5054

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Gordon Johnston

Unsustainable (according to your data) with no thought or considerations to the local communities, wildlife, countryside OR environment.

Object

Representation ID: 5072

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Will Eason

This development keeps being proposed with different elements added. The land owners have no regard for the current residents or the appropriateness of the use of their land.

Object

Representation ID: 5078

Received: 02/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Alex Chrusciak

This site is to dislocated from Bedford and would require significant areas of open and rural land to be lost.

There are alterative large scale allocation proposals (such as Twin Woods) which provide a better opportunities for developement without the need to lose the rural character.

Object

Representation ID: 5145

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Ian Francis

Breach of local plan policy, by destruction of rural area and coalescence of existing settlements.
Location means reliance on road network, not taking best advantage of proposed EWR.
Destruction of varied and thriving wildlife habitats.
Reliance on St Neots for amenities and infrastructure that are already overstretched and seeing their own growth.
Deceptive approach to true size of proposed development vs the publicised smaller 'startup' settlement of 2500homes.
More suitable brownfield sites, or urban extension sites exist.

Object

Representation ID: 5146

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Graham Morphew

Too big a development for local road network
Building on greenbelt / prime farm land
Development of area close to St Neots not Bedford
Not close proximity to existing or proposed rail network - environmental and road pressure impact
This proposal is outrageous in that it proposes the development of a town (this is not a village) on greenbelt land without the necessary infrastructure / facilities or anything taken into account. Where will all these people go for their goods and services - to St Neots in Cambridgeshire, which doesn't have the services or infrastructure to cope!

Object

Representation ID: 5196

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Michael Foster

Response from Michael Foster
The proposed Dennybrook Garden Village would be a complete and total environmental disaster for the ear on many levels, including the following:
1. Total chaos and disruption brought to the local road network which will not be able to cope with the thousands of extra HGV’s, white vans and resident’s vehicles. The increased noise and air pollution would destroy the area plus impact on wildlife.
2. The environmental destruction of prime arable land which is profitable and yields essential crops …. and sustain the local community.
3. Totally inadequate local road infrastructure with most of the surrounding roads being single track and incapable of coping with HGV’s. They would have to be widened and reinforced causing diversions and road closures and causing traffic chaos and congestion as a result.
4. Decades of building disruption and chaos stretching past 2055 with the consequent strain and burden on local communities.
5. Economic impact on Bedford town centre which is slowly dying due to the poor access from the proposed development. Preference will be given to St Neots by residents.
6. There are plenty of better alternative sites over 70,000 plots have been put forward against the need for 12,500 plots. There is no need for such a large and destructive development.
7. There is a bigger influx of potential residents from St Neots as opposed to the Bedford area, therefore not meeting Bedford’s housing needs.
8. Poor transport links would mean an over reliance of private car use with little walking or cycling use causing another impact on the environment.
In conclusion this total destruction and devastation of the local area environmentally and economically must not be allowed to happen!

Object

Representation ID: 5254

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Kathryn Smith

See above

Object

Representation ID: 5295

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Miss amber scally

please refer to all my points above with regards to the Dennybrook Garden Village.

Object

Representation ID: 5297

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Daniel Francis

please refer to all my points above with regards to the Dennybrook Garden Village.

Object

Representation ID: 5304

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Nicola Ledwich

.

Object

Representation ID: 5321

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Miss Erin Francis

please refer to all my points above with regards to the Dennybrook Garden Village.

Object

Representation ID: 5358

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Chris Bugden

This is a greenfield site. There are suitable brownfield sites available and Government planning policy says should be selected in preference to greenfield sites.
The Plan mentions 2.500 homes at Dennybrook, as do "options 2b, 2c & 2d, however Taylor Wimpey have issued documents describing 10,000 homes - the consultation is misleading.
The development will adversely impact St Neots.
10,000 houses will generate over 10,000 car journeys between 7am and 9am, all using small country roads, trying to access the A1, A421 or St Neots - this is not realistic.
Option 2a is more sensible as it uses existing infrastructure.

Object

Representation ID: 5405

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Emilio Meola

Open countryside not urban. High grade agricultural land not brownfield.

Object

Representation ID: 5425

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Elizabeth Froude

Dennybrook Site 977
Dennybrook is unsuitable because: there is a risk of coalescence with St Neots, it would engulf
Honeydon, the location is high quality agricultural land, it is valued as a rural location by its
residents, there are no services, the roads are very narrow, it is too far from the new E-W rail station
to offer sustainable transport, there are many nature reserves and listed buildings and a large
development could cause flooding in St Neots. The transport modelling is flawed and
underestimates the number of trips.

Object

Representation ID: 5434

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Fiona Middleton

I feel that a development of the scale of Dennybrook would completely consume the local, rural villages and the development would merge into St Neots which is already straining at the seams for services and transport infrastructure. The land proposed for the development is prime agricultural land with many important habitats. Our villages and towns should not all be morphing into one huge amorphous sprawl of houses, but we should value our green spaces and the beauty of our Bedfordshire villages and seek to develop sympathetically on a smaller scale in multiple sites to accommodate the housing need.

Object

Representation ID: 5441

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Dr Helen Stark

I object to the proposed, unsustainable, Denybrook Garden Village for the following reasons:

- This is a new development on greenfield land. Brownfield sites should be favoured first.

- There are long-term (permanent) negative impacts on habitats and species (flora and fauna), e.g. loss, severance and damage, even after mitigation and enhancement.
The development area proposed contains a unique mosaic of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. NB. net habitat gain will not equate to the re-creation of this mosaic.

- There are also negative, permanent impacts on: landscape, the historic environment and rural communities (incl. traffic, noise and flooding).

Object

Representation ID: 5468

Received: 03/09/2021

Respondent: Dr joanna Morrall

This site is entirely greenfield and there are adequate alternative brownfield sites in the borough.
Biodiversity at this site is already immense, there is unlikely to be any biodiversity gain in developing the site.
This site would not benefit bedford town or borough due to it's proximity to st neots.
this site would expose the council to unneccessary risk of not meeting government targets for completing homes on time.
the selection criteria do not support this site.

Object

Representation ID: 5508

Received: 06/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Stuart Ledwich

Land west of Wyboston (Dennybrook) is considered the least preferred option and should be discounted as a sustainable location for development by Bedford Borough Council. The following comments and observations relate to the Call for Sites submission by Taylor Wimpey for a ‘new settlement’.

Under form ID: 977, submissions have been made for a new settlement covering around 725 Hectares of land, and providing between 7,500 – 10,150 dwellings (35 dph). BBC have identified the site as a potential ‘new settlement’ though providing around 2,500 new homes.

The proposed site at Dennybrook falls mostly within the Parish of Staploe. The parish is entirely rural with many narrow, single track roads (many of which are designated as unsuitable for HGVs) and no settlement policy area. It is all on grade 2 (high quality) agricultural land and it is highly valued for its peace, quiet, open countryside views and rural setting by its residents as evidenced by a Neighbourhood Plan survey conducted in early 2021. Clearly, any significant development within the Parish would make a permanent change to the landscape and the setting of the small hamlets and rural nature in the locality. Such physical changes cannot be reversed, and the Council would need to be satisfied through a thorough review of the supporting documents to the site submissions that adequately address the impacts, and in terms of achieving sustainable development – in line with Paragraph 16 of the NPPF and section 39(2) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
Housing need has been identified through the Council’s LHN. Using the process set out in the Planning Practice Guidance “Housing and economic needs assessment” (MHCLG – updated December 2020) the minimum annual LHN figure is 1,305 dwellings per annum. This equates to 26,100 dwellings across the period 2020 – 2040. However, existing committed sites and windfall provide a figure of 13,000 new homes. This provides a figure of 13,100 additional dwellings over the plan period. It is noted that Bedford Borough Council need to deliver 12,500 homes as a minimum. Regardless which of the figures proposed, the strategy of option 2a (including 2,500 homes at Little Barford) meets the Council’s housing requirement and negates the need for Dennybrook as a new settlement.

When looking at the spatial approach to locating new development, the proposed site at Dennybrook would be located within close proximity to St Neots, with a possible merging into Wyboston and the hamlets of Honeydon and Begwary would be engulfed by the development. Given the scale of the proposed development at Dennybrook, even at 2,500 dwellings, there would a potential coalescence to the existing settlement of St Neots. Spatially, this would be contrary to the Council’s adopted Local Plan which seeks to prevent coalescence of settlements. In addition, policy 37 of the Council’s adopted Local Plan makes clear that developments need to ‘Protect the landscape setting and contribute to maintaining the individual and distinct character, and separate identities of settlements by preventing coalescence…’. It should also be taken into consideration that St Neots is experiencing its own strategic growth with an eastern extension 3,265 dwelling and 20 Ha of employment land over the plan period. Therefore, a new settlement directly to the west of the existing settlement of 2,500 would significantly increase the size of St Neots and may affect delivery rates for housing due to competing sites.

The transport impacts are acutely felt for this proposed new settlement. It is clear that the proposed development at Dennybrook would be a car reliant settlement. The proposal will not benefit from a choice of sustainable modes of transport as opposed to other developments, such as urban extensions and the proposed development at Little Barford. Little Barford offers a varied choice of sustainable modes of public transport, including the possible linkage to the East West rail station south of St Neots. It is anticipated that there will be limited employment associated with Dennybrook with commuting considered necessary to nearby employment areas, for example, south of St Neots, Bedford or Cambridge via train. This would be contrary to sustainability objectives identified by BBC, and contrary to paragraphs 73, 104, 105, 106, and 110 of the NPPF, not to mention existing policies within the adopted Local Plan, namely Policies 2S, 87, 88, and 90S. In addition, the Dennybrook site does not align with a strategic transport corridor growth strategy, including rail.

In highways terms, it has been identified previously that Parish of Staploe is rural in character, with most of the road network narrow and single track. The inclusion of 2,500 dwellings (or over 10,000 according to the site promoted) would require significant infrastructure interventions, including the substantial widening of existing roads and junctions, which would lead to an urbanised appearance it what is a tranquil and idyllic countryside setting. Bedford Borough Council confirm within their assessment of the site submissions, that junction or highway capacity issues are a ‘serious capacity constraint’.
These representations are supported by a Highways Technical Note (Appendix 1) which has reviewed the Transport Modelling undertaken by AECOM in support of the strategic options in the Draft Local Plan 2040. The Technical Note considers that the Transport Modelling is fundamentally flawed. In summary, no validation or calibration of the traffic model has been undertaken, leading to significant discrepancies. Furthermore, within the Transport Model documents, it is quoted that average departing trips are 20 to 25 vehicles. When looking at the development scenario with the transport model of 2,500 – 10,150 dwellings, and using a departure rate of 0.25 departure trip rate, this results in 625 to 2,538 departing trips all of which would be home based departure trips. The model assumes 5 loading zones which therefore means there could be 125 to 508 vehicles per loading zone. This is significantly higher than the 20 to 25 outbound vehicles used by the AECOM model, assuming they have loaded it per node. AECOM may argue that the reduction is due to sustainable modes of transport being used. However, it is made clear within paragraph 4.6 that the site offers very little in terms of alternative sustainable means of transport. Accordingly, the Transport Modelling by AECOM cannot be wholly relied upon.

The landscape setting for the Parish of Staploe is one of a rural character, containing small hamlets, interspersed agricultural buildings, small holdings and arable agricultural land. As mentioned above, the roads are narrow and winding, and contribute to the rural setting. This form of land extends from the A1 to the east to Church End, Colmworth to the east, down to Colesden to the south, and up to the Bushmead Road to the north. The landscape character is depicted within the Council’s Landscape Character Assessment (LCA), updated October 2020. The wider Parish of Staploe falls within the Thurleigh Clay Farmland character area (1D). Within the ‘evaluation’ section at page 55 of the LCA it notes that potential future change could include Small scale development in villages which could lead to loss their distinctive character/ ‘Ends’; Road upgrades affecting rural road character; Suburbanisation of villages. This would suggest that even relatively small changes would affect the rural setting of the area. Moreover, the proposed landscape strategy for the area as identified within the LCA is to ‘enhance’ elements of the landscape. The introduction of 2,500 new dwellings would significantly and permanently erode the rural character of the Parish, contrary to Paragraphs 20, 153, 174, and 175 of the NPPF and policy 37 of the adopted Local Plan.

The Dennybrook area includes a number of roadside nature reserves which contain the rare Bath Asparagus, sulphur clover and crested cow wheat. In addition, the hedgerows are a haven for birds and wildlife such as the rare Small Eggar Moth. The fields are valued breeding sites for corn buntings, skylarks and partridge and there are a very high number of apex predators such as badgers, foxes, red kites etc. which suggest that wildlife is thriving.

There are also several Grade II Listed Buildings located within the Parish of Staploe, and would be affected by the proposed development at Dennybrook. It is evident that the Council’s assessment to Call for Site states ‘The proposal has the potential to cause harm to heritage assets. This harm may range from low to high. There may be options to avoid, reduce or mitigate this harm and where sites have not been ruled out altogether for other reasons, further assessment will be undertaken to more fully explore impacts on significance and options for harm reduction and mitigation. This further assessment may ultimately lead to the conclusion that the site should not be allocated.’ It is assumed by the above comments that further assessments are required before the site can be considered further as an allocation. It is clear that the existing Listed Buildings are dispersed throughout the area of the proposed development, causing potential impacts to their setting.

A further point to consider is that most of the land covered by the Parish of Staploe is Grade 2 agricultural land as identified by the Agricultural Land Classification. Paragraph 174 (b) of the NPPF makes clear that planning policies should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by: ‘recognising the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside, and the wider benefits from natural capital and ecosystem services – including the economic and other benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, and of trees and woodland…’. Grade 2 agricultural land is considered to be the best and most versatile agricultural land and would be applicable in this instance.

In addition to the above, the Sustainability Appraisal scoring for the proposed new settlement of Dennybrook identifies it as scoring lower than Spatial Option 3a. this spatial option was effectively discounted at the ‘Issues and Options’ consultation stage.

Staploe Parish Council believe that such a large development would increase the flood risk in St Neots because there are several brooks which feed into the rivers just upstream of St Neots. St Neots has experienced significant flooding – most recently in August 2020 and December 2020. The brook in Honeydon and Colmworth Brook both flooded at these times. Building on this large area of land would increase the surface water runoff and increase the flood risk in Honeydon and in St Neots.

The residents of Honeydon and Begwary would be engulfed by this development. These small hamlets would entirely lose their identities. Residents chose to live in these locations for their peace and quiet and rural character. Many keep livestock and are concerned that this may no longer be possible adjacent to a new town. Valued local views would be lost – across towards Colmworth and the church but also between Begwary and Tithe Farm and many other valued open rural views.
Residents of Staploe and Duloe would be affected by a huge increase in traffic through their hamlets and on the Bushmead Road. The Bushmead Road is not suitable for the existing level of traffic.
Overall, the land west of Wyboston (Dennybrook) does not offer a truly sustainable form of development, and thereby contrary to policies contained within the NPPF and of the Council’s adopted Local Plan. Accordingly, the proposed new settlement should be discounted when considering sites for allocation going forward to the pre-submission draft Local Plan.

Object

Representation ID: 5559

Received: 06/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Julie Kilby

Dennybrook Site 977
Land west of Wyboston (Dennybrook) Site 977

Land west of Wyboston (Dennybrook) is considered the least preferred option and should be discounted as a sustainable location for development by Bedford Borough Council. The following comments and observations relate to the Call for Sites submission by Taylor Wimpey for a ‘new settlement’.
Under form ID: 977, submissions have been made for a new settlement covering around 725 Hectares of land, and providing between 7,500 – 10,150 dwellings (35 dph). BBC have identified the site as a potential ‘new settlement’ though providing around 2,500 new homes.
The proposed site at Dennybrook falls mostly within the Parish of Staploe. The parish is entirely rural with many narrow, single track roads (many of which are designated as unsuitable for HGVs) and no settlement policy area. It is all on grade 2 (high quality) agricultural land and it is highly valued for its peace, quiet, open countryside views and rural setting by its residents as evidenced by a Neighbourhood Plan survey conducted in early 2021. Clearly, any significant development within the Parish would make a permanent change to the landscape and the setting of the small hamlets and rural nature in the locality. Such physical changes cannot be reversed, and the Council would need to be satisfied through a thorough review of the supporting documents to the site submissions that adequately address the impacts, and in terms of achieving sustainable development – in line with Paragraph 16 of the NPPF and section 39(2) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
Housing need has been identified through the Council’s LHN. Using the process set out in the Planning Practice Guidance “Housing and economic needs assessment” (MHCLG – updated December 2020) the minimum annual LHN figure is 1,305 dwellings per annum. This equates to 26,100 dwellings across the period 2020 – 2040. However, existing committed sites and windfall provide a figure of 13,000 new homes. This provides a figure of 13,100 additional dwellings over the plan period. It is noted that Bedford Borough Council need to deliver 12,500 homes as a minimum. Regardless which of the figures proposed, the strategy of option 2b (including 2,500 homes at Little Barford) meets the Council’s housing requirement and negates the need for Dennybrook as a new settlement.
When looking at the spatial approach to locating new development, the proposed site at Dennybrook would be located within close proximity to St Neots, with a possible merging into Wyboston and the hamlets of Honeydon and Begwary would be engulfed by the development. Given the scale of the proposed development at Dennybrook, even at 2,500 dwellings, there would a potential coalescence to the existing settlement of St Neots. Spatially, this would be contrary to the Council’s adopted Local Plan which seeks to prevent coalescence of settlements. In addition, policy 37 of the Council’s adopted Local Plan makes clear that developments need to ‘Protect the landscape setting and contribute to maintaining the individual and distinct character, and separate identities of settlements by preventing coalescence…’. It should also be taken into consideration that St Neots is experiencing its own strategic growth with an eastern extension 3,265 dwelling and 20 Ha of employment land over the plan period. Therefore, a new settlement directly to the west of the existing settlement of 2,500 would significantly increase the size of St Neots and may affect delivery rates for housing due to competing sites.
The transport impacts are acutely felt for this proposed new settlement. It is clear that the proposed development at Dennybrook would be a car reliant settlement. The proposal will not benefit from a choice of sustainable modes of transport as opposed to other developments, such as urban extensions and the proposed development at Little Barford. Little Barford offers a varied choice of sustainable modes of public transport, including the possible linkage to the East West rail station south of St Neots. It is anticipated that there will be limited employment associated with Dennybrook with commuting considered necessary to nearby employment areas, for example, south of St Neots, Bedford or Cambridge via train. This would be contrary to sustainability objectives identified by BBC, and contrary to paragraphs 73, 104, 105, 106, and 110 of the NPPF, not to mention existing policies within the adopted Local Plan, namely Policies 2S, 87, 88, and 90S. In addition, the Dennybrook site does not align with a strategic transport corridor growth strategy, including rail.
In highways terms, it has been identified previously that Parish of Staploe is rural in character, with most of the road network narrow and single track. The inclusion of 2,500 dwellings (or over 10,000 according to the site promoted) would require significant infrastructure interventions, including the substantial widening of existing roads and junctions, which would lead to an urbanised appearance it what is a tranquil and idyllic countryside setting. Bedford Borough Council confirm within their assessment of the site submissions, that junction or highway capacity issues are a ‘serious capacity constraint’.
These representations are supported by a Highways Technical Note (Appendix 1) which has reviewed the Transport Modelling undertaken by AECOM in support of the strategic options in the Draft Local Plan 2040. The Technical Note considers that the Transport Modelling is fundamentally flawed. In summary, no validation or calibration of the traffic model has been undertaken, leading to significant discrepancies. Furthermore, within the Transport Model documents, it is quoted that average departing trips are 20 to 25 vehicles. When looking at the development scenario with the transport model of 2,500 – 10,150 dwellings, and using a departure rate of 0.25 departure trip rate, this results in 625 to 2,538 departing trips all of which would be home based departure trips. The model assumes 5 loading zones which therefore means there could be 125 to 508 vehicles per loading zone. This is significantly higher than the 20 to 25 outbound vehicles used by the AECOM model, assuming they have loaded it per node. AECOM may argue that the reduction is due to sustainable modes of transport being used. However, it is made clear within paragraph 4.6 that the site offers very little in terms of alternative sustainable means of transport. Accordingly, the Transport Modelling by AECOM cannot be wholly relied upon.
The landscape setting for the Parish of Staploe is one of a rural character, containing small hamlets, interspersed agricultural buildings, small holdings and arable agricultural land. As mentioned above, the roads are narrow and winding, and contribute to the rural setting. This form of land extends from the A1 to the east to Church End, Colmworth to the east, down to Colesden to the south, and up to the Bushmead Road to the north. The landscape character is depicted within the Council’s Landscape Character Assessment (LCA), updated October 2020. The wider Parish of Staploe falls within the Thurleigh Clay Farmland character area (1D). Within the ‘evaluation’ section at page 55 of the LCA it notes that potential future change could include Small scale development in villages which could lead to loss their distinctive character/ ‘Ends’; Road upgrades affecting rural road character; Suburbanisation of villages. This would suggest that even relatively small changes would affect the rural setting of the area. Moreover, the proposed landscape strategy for the area as identified within the LCA is to ‘enhance’ elements of the landscape. The introduction of 2,500 new dwellings would significantly and permanently erode the rural character of the Parish, contrary to Paragraphs 20, 153, 174, and 175 of the NPPF and policy 37 of the adopted Local Plan.
The Dennybrook area includes a number of roadside nature reserves which contain the rare Bath Asparagus, sulphur clover and crested cow wheat. In addition, the hedgerows are a haven for birds and wildlife such as the rare Small Eggar Moth. The fields are valued breeding sites for corn buntings, skylarks and partridge and there are a very high number of apex predators such as badgers, foxes, red kites etc. which suggest that wildlife is thriving.
There are also several Grade II Listed Buildings located within the Parish of Staploe, and would be affected by the proposed development at Dennybrook. It is evident that the Council’s assessment to Call for Site states ‘The proposal has the potential to cause harm to heritage assets. This harm may range from low to high. There may be options to avoid, reduce or mitigate this harm and where sites have not been ruled out altogether for other reasons, further assessment will be undertaken to more fully explore impacts on significance and options for harm reduction and mitigation. This further assessment may ultimately lead to the conclusion that the site should not be allocated.’ It is assumed by the above comments that further assessments are required before the site can be considered further as an allocation. It is clear that the existing Listed Buildings are dispersed throughout the area of the proposed development, causing potential impacts to their setting.
A further point to consider is that most of the land covered by the Parish of Staploe is Grade 2 agricultural land as identified by the Agricultural Land Classification. Paragraph 174 (b) of the NPPF makes clear that planning policies should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by: ‘recognising the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside, and the wider benefits from natural capital and ecosystem services – including the economic and other benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, and of trees and woodland…’. Grade 2 agricultural land is considered to be the best and most versatile agricultural land and would be applicable in this instance.
In addition to the above, the Sustainability Appraisal scoring for the proposed new settlement of Dennybrook identifies it as scoring lower than Spatial Option 3a. this spatial option was effectively discounted at the ‘Issues and Options’ consultation stage.
Staploe Parish Council believe that such a large development would increase the flood risk in St Neots because there are several brooks which feed into the rivers just upstream of St Neots. St Neots has experienced significant flooding – most recently in August 2020 and December 2020. The brook in Honeydon and Colmworth Brook both flooded at these times. Building on this large area of land would increase the surface water runoff and increase the flood risk in Honeydon and in St Neots.
The residents of Honeydon and Begwary would be engulfed by this development. These small hamlets would entirely lose their identities. Residents chose to live in these locations for their peace and quiet and rural character. Many keep livestock and are concerned that this may no longer be possible adjacent to a new town. Valued local views would be lost – across towards Colmworth and the church but also between Begwary and Tithe Farm and many other valued open rural views.
Residents of Staploe and Duloe would be affected by a huge increase in traffic through their hamlets and on the Bushmead Road. The Bushmead Road is not suitable for the existing level of traffic.
Overall, the land west of Wyboston (Dennybrook) does not offer a truly sustainable form of development, and thereby contrary to policies contained within the NPPF and of the Council’s adopted Local Plan. Accordingly, the proposed new settlement should be discounted when considering sites for allocation going forward to the pre-submission draft Local Plan.

Object

Representation ID: 5606

Received: 06/09/2021

Respondent: Mr Justyn Cassell

Site selection
Having reviewed the initial site strategic recommendation document it seemed flowed and arborary in the selection/classification of sites providing a narrow view of assessment and judgement vs criterial. The reduced environmental impact being one of the key selection reasons for the Dennybrook site but with little consideration to the natural environment impact

Environmentally
The land comprising this 2,400 acre site is high quality agricultural land, growing essential crops. Not to mention the wildlife impact
There is no brownfield element to the site, a priority under the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework. Other (rejected by BBC) proposals for LP40 such as Twinwoods include brownfield elements and should be prioritised.

Unsustainable location
Car use will increase so again negatively impact the environment contradicting what the initial assessment Unlike Temsford/Wixhams/Little Barford options

Object

Representation ID: 5775

Received: 07/09/2021

Respondent: Miss Hannah Hambleton-Jewell

Dennybrook is unsuitable because: there is a risk of coalescence with St Neots, it would engulf Honeydon, the location is high quality agricultural land, it is valued as a rural location by its residents, there are no services, the roads are very narrow, it is too far from the new E-W rail station to offer sustainable transport, there are many nature reserves and listed buildings and a large development could cause flooding in St Neots. The transport modelling is flawed and underestimates the number of trips.

Object

Representation ID: 5808

Received: 07/09/2021

Respondent: Ms Sharon Walsh

I write in reference to site # 977, Land West of Wyboston (“Dennybrook”). I strongly object to the proposal that this land be used for the development of a new settlement of over 10,000 properties. The land South of Honeydon Road is not a suitable site and should be discounted as a sustainable location for development by Bedford Borough Council.
My comments and concerns are as follows:
General LP40 / Spatial Consideration
Dennybrook is a proposed development of over 10,000 homes that would stretch from Colmworth to the A1.This proposal is hugely excessive and would totally erase a very rural area and its historic settlements. The development would overwhelm Colmworth as a separate rural community creating a sprawling suburban environment. It would dominate the local environment with construction traffic for the next 30 years.
The need for a new housing is acknowledged, but the need for a settlement of this size is not. There is no shortage of development opportunities which could be utilized for LP40. The call for sites returned over 430 responses totaling in excess of 70,000 plots against a need of 12,500 in order to complete the plan. Therefore there is no need to consider a single settlement which is as large and destructive and the Dennybrook proposal.
The proposed site at Dennybrook would be located within close proximity to St Neots, with a possible merging into Wyboston. Hamlets (Honeydon and Begwary) and villages (Colmworth) would be engulfed and overwhelmed by the development. Given the scale of the proposed development at Dennybrook, there would be a potential coalescence to the existing settlement of St Neots which would be contrary to the Council’s adopted Local Plan which seeks to prevent coalescence of settlements. In addition, policy 37 of the Council’s adopted Local Plan makes clear that developments need to ‘Protect the landscape setting and contribute to maintaining the individual and distinct character, and separate identities of settlements by preventing coalescence…’. Development of this site would be in direct contravention to such policy.
Further, the land comprising the site is all on Grade 2 agricultural land. There is no brownfield element to this site. The NPPF makes clear that planning policies should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by: ‘recognising the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside, and the wider benefits from natural capital and ecosystem services – including the economic and other benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, and of trees and woodland…’. In this instance the land is classed as the best and most versatile agricultural land as should therefore be discounted as an appropriate site. Other proposals for LP40 such as Twinwoods include brownfield elements and should be prioritised.
The Council will need to be satisfied through a thorough review of the supporting documents to the site submissions that adequately address the impacts, and in terms of achieving sustainable development – in line with Paragraph 16 of the NPPF and section 39(2) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
Individual Impact / Wellbeing
The site and surrounding area (in both Colmworth and Staploe Parishes) is entirely rural and is highly valued for its peace, quiet, open countryside views and rural setting. The people of our parishes chose to live here precisely because of the rural location and everything that brings. Any development on this site would make a permanent irreversible change to the landscape, setting and rural nature of the small hamlets and villages in and around the site and would present a significant challenge to existing residents in terms of the negative impact to mental, physical and financial wellbeing, that would be impossible to mitigate. The physical changes to the landscape that would result from this development cannot be reversed. As residents who deliberately chose to live in a rural location with limited services and infrastructure we will find ourselves engulfed in a suburban environment that we did not choose to live in. The psychological wellbeing issues which such a development will create for individual residents should not be underestimated.
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P a g e 5 | 5
Site # 977 – “Dennybrook” (cont’d)
Ecology
From an ecological standpoint the site supports a wide range of flora and fauna. The site is a haven for birds and wildlife. The fields provide breeding sites for rare breed birds and mammals. There is a significant number of deer, badgers, foxes, red kites etc. in the area indicating that the wildlife is thriving.
The grasslands and verges within the site are known to support at least three nationally rare species. Over 100 bird species have been recorded on the site including include a range of notable farmland species corn bunting, skylark, yellow wagtail, grey partridge. Other notable species include red kite, kingfisher (associated with riparian habitat), hobby, merlin, winter thrushes redwing and fieldfare) common crossbill (from pine plantation on southern boundary) and barn owl.
Development of this site would result in the fundamental of change of habitats within the site, displacing many of those species associated with arable landscapes, and instead encouraging common garden bird species. The impact on the wildlife and biodiversity of the land would be irreversibly negatively impacted by development on this site, with an overall net loss of biodiversity.
Heritage
This proposal has the potential to cause significant harm to heritage assets and places of archaeological significance.
The council’s own HIA assessment notes that “The scheme is likely to result in harm to around 21 grade II listed buildings, although it is agreed with the HIA that this is likely to be ‘less than substantial’ in each instance and at the lower end of the scale. A high level of less than substantial harm could occur to four grade II listed buildings – all historic farmhouses either surrounded by the site or in close proximity to it… It should be stated that the scheme is likely to have a high, cumulative impact on designated heritage assets. This should be weighed against the public benefits of the scheme”.
Further the council’s assessment also notes that “..no consideration (has been) given to impacts from additional noise, traffic, light pollution or changes to the surrounding predominantly rural character which is experienced when approaching the designated assets”. The assessment notes the significant risk to heritage assets and that a further assessment should be undertaken, the outcome of which “may ultimately lead to the conclusion that the site should not be allocated”.
From a heritage standpoint this development would result in adverse impacts to the listed buildings within and around the site, and therefore on this basis alone the site should not be given further consideration for development.
Highways
As noted in the Council’s site assessment this site is regarded as having “serious capacity constraints” in terms of highways and junction capacity. It states that “…The very large scale of the development would cause significant pressures on the surrounding highway network and further assessment will be required”. As noted previously the site lies in a very rural area with few access roads and minimal infrastructure. Several roads immediately surrounding and within the site are single track roads, and in most cases widening would not be feasible.
The proposed development at Dennybrook would be a car reliant settlement. The proposal will not benefit from a choice of sustainable modes of transport.
The highways, transport and access challenges for this site should preclude it from further consideration.
Economic Impact / Services
The site location is very close to St Neots (see earlier point re coalescence) and has comparatively poor access to Bedford. Residents of such a development are likely to favour St Neots which adds further pressure to already stretches services in St Neots, and adds further economic damage to Bedford town centre which is already in serious economic decline. There appears to be no economic benefit to Bedford town from this proposal.
Summary
The proposed settlement at Dennybrook is unsuitable because: there is a risk of coalescence with St Neots, it would engulf the hamlets and villages in and around the site, the location is high quality agricultural land, it is valued as a rural location by its residents, there are no services, the roads are very narrow, it is too far from the new E-W rail station to offer sustainable transport, there are many nature reserves and listed buildings and a large development could cause flooding in St Neots. This site is unsuitable for a multitude of reasons, from heritage, to transport, to flooding and can in no way be considered an environmentally sound or sustainable solution the Council’s housing needs.