Issues and Options

As Above Given the variety of demographics with the Borough there must be good standards for large families and multigenerational homes as well as good standard of properties for first time buyers and renters as well as befits a county town and its surrounding villages rather than following minima set for London.

We need to be realistic about personal preference and practicality. It is naïve to believe that cycling will be taken up by more than a minority or as much more than a leisure pursuit. Only integrated and efficient public transport will make any significant change in travel patterns.

Please accept this as my submission to the “Issues and Options” consultation on the Local Plan, specifically with respect to my own ward. (A separate submission is being made on behalf of the Conservative Councillor Group) The first point to make is that I am submitting this as a written email document and not via the online response form. The way the Planning Department sets out the responses in the online form means that you are limiting the responses that people can give, only to the questions that you feel you want to ask and only allowing them to comment on the issues that you highlight. I think it’s important that you recognise that normal people don’t necessarily think like planners, they have a much more nuanced and localised view of these matters and their views cannot simply be straightjacketed into boxes with the broad brush approach that the Planning Department is taking. Secondly, I think the way that the Planning Department is going about this consultation, starting with a call for sites, is fundamentally flawed. The result will be that you build your plan according to what is submitted, rather than starting with a clear set of objectives that you would like to see as the outcome of the Plan. This absence of any clear strategy for something as important as a Local Plan must be a major cause for concern. The Planning Department needs to do some serious thinking and ask itself in the cold light of day whether this is a right and proper approach to decision making and whether it will ultimately result in the best Local Plan available, or whether it will merely get things across the line and be deemed as ‘acceptable’. I for one want the best possible Local Plan, which addresses the needs, concerns and aspirations of the people of Bedford Borough. I don’t believe your approach will achieve this and by starting with a ‘call for sites’ you will end up making a plan out of what developers thought they could make money from, rather than identifying sites yourselves, that meet your strategic objectives and address clear planning, housing, employment and environmental needs. Wixams: In all matters relating to stations, Wixams Station needs to be top priority and no other new station should be considered as part of a Local Plan which might compromise, delay or otherwise supplant the delivery of Wixams station. With regard to one of the options outlined in the consultation document, that of “New settlement based growth” I believe that the initial Wixams Masterplan, dating back to c.1999 envisaged around 4000-4500 new dwellings as the size of Wixams once everything was built. I would not want to see Wixams expanded any more than has previously been proposed. Anything larger than originally proposed risks creating an urban sprawl that was never envisaged. The nature of Wixams is unique, centred around 4 separate villages, with a (yet to be built) village centre. There have been major issues with delays and undelivered infrastructure. Current proposals for warehousing are extremely controversial and there is a sense that the quiet and ‘green’ environment at Wixams is at risk from overdevelopment, in particular from employment designated sites and the additional traffic and HGVs that they bring with them Therefore, I am opposed to any further expansion of Wixams. The Borough should focus its efforts on delivering what was originally planned for Wixams, rather than looking to identify further housing site options before the current site is built out and complete. Wilstead: Wilstead is currently in the process of putting together a Neighbourhood Plan. Consultation should be undertaken with Wilstead Parish Council and the Neighbour Plan Group, to determine an acceptable level of housing development within Wilstead and suitable locations for it. It is important to maintain a clear division between Wilstead and Wixams, unhindered by development, to ensure that both villages maintain clear boundaries and are not subject to infill and housing sprawl, so that it becomes difficult to identify where one village starts and the other finishes. During the last consultation round on the Local Plan 2030, a number of very large sites along the A6 were submitted by developers for consideration (one almost opposite Wixams and another further south towards Briar Bank). If these sites are again submitted for consideration, they should be rejected, on the grounds that they would result in a large housing sprawl, with major traffic issues around the A6 and resulting in no clear boundary between Wilstead and Wixams. General: As a general point, in terms of where new development should be located, I strongly believe that new housing should be focussed on the urban part of Bedford. Whilst there is an urgent need for additional housing, the Borough needs to protect villages, villagers and village life from rampant development speculation, building houses that are unlikely to be affordable to those looking to get a foot on the housing ladder. There is a desperate need for housing which is both suitable and affordable for young people. This is best done in urban areas, with access to sites where smaller apartments can be built, with close links to transport, so people can commute easily to work; and near to entertainment venues and sites with possibilities for small employment start-up units. This option is also more environmentally considerate, with fewer car journeys required as a result. Promised infrastructure needs to be built before development, so that we don’t end up with issues similar to those we have experienced at Wixams, where much was promised, but the reality is somewhat different. Equally, we need a better focus on housing design and roads and parking within development, to avoid the scourge of verge parking and congested roads. Ultimately, the Borough needs to fundamentally rethink its approach to the Local Plan and develop one that the Bedford public will happily endorse and support, rather than one that gets grudging acceptance or at worst outright hostility.