Policy HOU13 Land at Gibraltar Corner, Kempston Rural

This area is not suited for further development of this scale. A rural area, with 1930s infrastructure, has already been detrimentally affected by the exponential growth in Wootton and Kempston West. This plan does not take account of the already over burdened Ridge Rd. It wishes to destroy rural green areas to create 'green corridors'. It plans to add a Primary School within walking distance of an existing KR Primary school. Bedford Council has routinely failed existing residents for over a decade by allowing exponential growth without ensuring the road infrastructure is safe. This plan is reckless.

There is impact in numbers,so it's important for residents to register their concerns online.Kempston Rural has increased in size (residents) by 50% since the last census in 2011.This in comparison to 17% increase in Kempston/Bedford. Warehouse development,extensive growth in Wootton and A6 high speeds contribute to the volume,speed and noise of traffic along our road.Deteriorating pavements,failing utilities and damages to houses are a direct result of increased traffic on a 1930s rural road.The plan seeks to develop fields to create housing and green corridors, yet will urbanise a rural area which will affect safety, noise, buildings and our local environment

The infrastructure in this area can not cope already with the amount of traffic it has.
There is not enough local service provisions
There has already been so much development encroaching on our green space already . This is a rural area and every time a new plan comes up the council wants to make us urban.
All the traffic from Wootton’s new development uses Gibraltar as a rat run to get to the a421.
I live here for the green space to help my mental health .

Proposed development will put considerable pressure on roads as well as already overwhelmed local services like schools, doctors and dentist. It will have detrimental effect on the wild life.

The area is already overdeveloped and volume of traffic and road safety already an issue that impacts on local residents.

I feel that this proposal shall have a detrimental impact on the local community, wildlife and well being of residents. We have had many projects in our local area which have impacted on the ability of people to access open spaces and we do not have the infrastructure to cope with any more houses. We have bats and other protected wildlife and we have trees which are protected, we need the rural spaces and with all their is an impact on traffic, congestion and highways. I strongly object to this proposal and reject it fully.

29 years of living on Ridge Road has changed exponentially. Dangerous speeding, large traffic flow as massive expansion of Wootton with only 2 ways to Kempston.
Already troublesome getting on/off my property due to traffic volume. Dangerous for pedestrians especially those numerous children going to and from the lower school daily.

Last part of green space. Are you seriously considering having non-stop urban sprawl from Bedford to the far reaches of Wootton?

As a Wood End resident I object to the 2040 plans for Gibraltar Corner.
This area is a popular and needed green space for local residents,dog walkers,horse riders and nature lovers.

The Buttons Ramsey wood is part of the conservation area of Marston Vale. Such a development so close to the wood will destroy wildlife and severely impact the quality of life of current residents. This area has already expanded by 100% in the last 10 years. There is insufficient infrastructure for such a development.

The structure of the village will be destroyed. Open spaces destroyed farmland destroyed and the need for further construction units must be queried in the light of the other huge developments in the near vicinity. The further influx of people will bring strin on transport, sewage, and doctors / hospital facilities in the area. Scrapped.

This proposed development will completely destroy the rural nature of the area. Population increase in recent years has already been disproportionately high in Kempston rural. To state that the development will provide open green spaces is disingenuous since the development area is already an open green area.

The village of Wood End will dissappear totally if this plan is carried out. Our whole atmosphere will change completely and Kempston Rural will no longer be rural.

Already to many houses being built and the infrastructure support more houses.

We don't need more houses and the infrastructure can't support more new houses.

As a resident of Ridge Road we have seen a vast increase of traffic usage on the road. With developments in both Wootton and Kempston, Ridge Road has become a rat run.
For what is a 30 mph traffic users use this a speed making the road dangerous.
The road was originally designed for 1930s road use and 1930s vehicles, it is just not upto the rigors of the 21st century To add a carpar, an additional primary school to Kempston rural at the other end of Ridge Road and further housing, the small narrow road just cannot cope.
The road is already in a general state of disrepair with pot holes, but the verges are collapsing and with this causing issues with amenities for water, electricity and gas. The increase of traffic and heavier vehicles is expediting this problem. In addition to the destruction of the road residents are feeling effects on the properties with houses shaking and cracks beginning to appear. This would much align with understanding that the population of Kempston Rural has increased in population by 50% in recent years therefore showing in the increased road usage.
Placing a primary school in such a precarious position is also going to have a devastating effect on the local area. Kempston Rural are lucky in being able to access the lidl carpark for parents to park cars, there is no where for this to happen and therefore will affect local residents and the general flow of traffic, being on a blind corner its also surely a danger hot spot. I also think we need to question if another school is needed in such close proximity.
In regards to the carparkbeing built near the Branston Way this too is going to add further pressure on the area, it will also have a devastating impact on the local environment and that of the areas of the Marston Vale wooded areas.
In fact the over development of the area Will suffer devastatingly. Currently Kempston Rural is still semi rural to build in the surrounding land will ensure that the area loses this incredibly important natural habitat and will see Kempston joining Wooton in to one long conglomerate decimating Kempston Rural and making it Woopston if you like.
Losing our green space and farm land is so incredibly short sighted, we have a beautiful and natural area that feeds and works for the local community. It should be nutured and protected not used for schools, houses and carparks.
The area has already been heavily developed with new estates and warehouses we need to give nature room to flourish and our wildlife time to bounce back.
In short the 2040 plan is shortsighted environmentally as well as not looking at exsisting infrastructure and the devastating effect it will have on the ecsisting community

We need to keep out Rural space for the environment and mental well-being of local residents

Over development of a rural location. This will have a detrimental affect on the community. The infrastructure won’t cope.

The land a round gilbraltar corner cannot cope with the extra traffic and there is no facilities. Kempston Rural is rural hence why people live here if we wanted to live in Kempston we would live in Kempston.

The traffic will use all the country lanes as Rat runs to the A422

Plans to put housing all around Gibraltar corner have been objected to and rejected time and time again for good reason and nothing has changed this time.
- This should be kept a rural area, not an extension to the urban sprawl.
- The existing road network is not able to cope with the traffic it currently has, let alone if you more than double the number of houses here.
- There is not the space for buses to access the proposed site.
- Water drainage at the proposed sites is already an issue with regular flooding and burst pipes, adding hard standing and extra houses is only going to make this significantly worse.
- The land you are proposing to build on is good agricultural land which should be kept for farming.
- There is a diverse selection of wildlife on the land you are proposing to build on including deer, frogs, newts, badgers, foxes as well as many many nesting birds in the hedges and long grass.
- Existing rural villages should keep their identity, not amalgamated into one another.
- Kempston Rural has already increased in size by more than 50% since 2011 (compared to 17% for Kempston/Bedford).
- The extensive growth in Wootton, the warehouse development and the introduction of the A6 has already caused a significant increase in traffic, speed and noise along Ridge Road and Wootton Road, this would only increase that.
- The increased traffic has already deteriorated pavements, roads and utilities and has directly caused damage to the 1930's houses that line the 1930s road.
- The plan talks about creating green spaces and helping the environment, but all the plans will do is urbanise what is already a green and rural area.
- The increased amount of housing will increase noise and pollution and will affect safety in the area.
- Local residents moved to a rural location to get away from the urban environment for a reason, you are proposing on bringing the urban to us.
- Local amenities are already insufficient to deal with existing growth

Unwarranted unnecessary destruction of Green Space & biodiversity. Completely opposite view of Marston Vale Forest Plan. Insufficient details as to how infrastructure of how 1. public services will be increased - NHS, police, fire 2. Traffic management, A421 already too congested.
3. Insufficient consideration of Brown sites. 4. Taking easy option of building on any Green Space with excuse of Govt. housing Targets. 5. Proposal stinks of landowner(s) seeking big bucks. 6. Kempston Rural has excess detrimental build ing with no benefit or consideration to existing residents. Increased pollution, traffic, less availability of services & no investment locally

Kempston has already advanced as far as the Branston Way , by building along Wood End Lane , the traffic levels will rise even higher though the ends. People are already parking in a Dangerous manner on Wood End Lane & Wood End Rd since the Cross Keys converted part of the parking area in front of the pub to a outside drinking area. Equine access to the Bridleways is already hampered due no parking enforcement. Also no mention is made of widening Wood End Lane to accommodate the increased traffic or of the loss of farmland.

By building along Wood End Lane , the traffic levels will rise even higher though the ends. People are already parking in a Dangerous manner on Wood End Lane & Wood End Rd since the Cross Keys converted part of the parking area in front of the pub to a outside drinking area. Equine access to the Bridleways is already hampered due no parking enforcement. Also no mention is made of widening Wood End Lane to accommodate the increased traffic or of the loss of farmland.

Development within the parish of Kempston Rural in the last few years has been disproportionately high in comparison to other areas. The landscape of the parish has already changed a lot and further increase in development will irreversibly change the character of the parish. The greenbelt areas are important buffer zones for protected areas such as Kempston rural wood. Buttons Ramsey and the kill are known hunting and nesting grounds for bats, barn owls and little owls. The large field buffering Buttons Ramsey and owned by the Frossells is hunting ground for barn owls and kestrels. The hedges are used a migratory routes for bats. Skylarks use the hedge margins in nesting season. Sightings can be verified. Increased pressure on the boundaries of wildlife havens is unacceptable. The Bunyan Way landscape will be effected by the development. The roads are not robust enough to take the volume of traffic.

Plans to put housing all around Gibraltar corner have been objected to and rejected time and time again for good reason and nothing has changed this time.
- This should be kept a rural area, not an extension to the urban sprawl.
- The existing road network is not able to cope with the traffic it currently has, let alone if you more than double the number of houses here.
- There is not the space for buses to access the proposed site.
- Water drainage at the proposed sites is already an issue with regular flooding and burst pipes, adding hard standing and extra houses is only going to make this significantly worse.
- The land you are proposing to build on is good agricultural land which should be kept for farming.
- There is a diverse selection of wildlife on the land you are proposing to build on including deer, frogs, newts, badgers, foxes as well as many many nesting birds in the hedges and long grass.
- Existing rural villages should keep their identity, not amalgamated into one another.
- Kempston Rural has already increased in size by more than 50% since 2011 (compared to 17% for Kempston/Bedford).
- The extensive growth in Wootton, the warehouse development and the introduction of the A6 has already caused a significant increase in traffic, speed and noise along Ridge Road and Wootton Road, this would only increase that.
- The increased traffic has already deteriorated pavements, roads and utilities and has directly caused damage to the 1930's houses that line the 1930s road.
- The plan talks about creating green spaces and helping the environment, but all the plans will do is urbanise what is already a green and rural area.
- The increased amount of housing will increase noise and pollution and will affect safety in the area.
- Local residents moved to a rural location to get away from the urban environment for a reason, you are proposing on bringing the urban to us.
- Local amenities are already insufficient to deal with existing growth

The amount of traffic which will be created in our rural community hamlet will be so immense. With schools in the area too it will be too much as busses will be running creating noise and gas polloution. We already have great school options such as. Wootton upper, kempston Rural primary school and KCA.

The areas infrastructure cannot cope with any more development. We live in a rural community which is being further urbanised and the roads are unfit for purpose due to all of the new housing. The local services cannot cope as it is, let alone with more housing.

Houses [including my own] overlook a lovely view of a field of wheat which is one of the most important reasons we bought the property. We were told there was at the time of purchase that there was a 70yr covenant NOT to build on the field.
If this goes ahead our property value will plummet. Nobody wants to live next to a building site for 5 years or so.
The field itself is threatened by floodwater and the roads are inadequate for the volume of traffic expected.
Surely there are better Brown sites to make use of?

With Wootton expanding, nothing has been done to make Gibraltar corner safe, the amount of accidents that have happened the road infrastructure must be completed first before new housing is built.

I'm not a solicitor so do not know if it is legally compliant. However, lockdown showed us how important outside space and exercise is. Yet BBC seems hell bent on building on every bit of green space available, even flood planes. Who is going to insure these homes? My husband a fireman and spends winters bailing such residents out. Let's please develope and improve already built on empty properties and run down areas to make them more appealing and conserve our green space. There is no point being eco friendly if there is no eco system.

We object to this development in the strongest terms. This is a designated rural area, with a developing wood creating a wildlife corridor to Marston Vale. Huge time and effort has been spent with the Woodland Trust to make this a viable space for wild life.

Climate crisis must be taken seriously and the attention to wildlife and bio diversity is as essential as new homes. If we allow the planet to die none of us will need homes!

Kempston already has a large development and a Primary school close by. It surely makes more sense to expand and develop that school and continue building around the edges of the by pass.

Gibraltar corner leads to a rural and farming area, extra traffic around these narrow lanes where horses and tractors regularly walk / drive will be hazardous for all.

Please reconsider for the sake of the planet and safety.