Issues and Options

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the above Consultation. The consultation identifies the need to build up to 20,000 homes in the Borough during the period to 2040 and it appears that Bedford Borough Council plan to allocate this housing on land in the North of Bedfordshire. Bromham Parish Council urge Bedford Borough Council to consider protecting rural areas in the new local plan and give assurances that existing rural settlements will not be further targeted for unacceptable growth. The Parish Council acknowledge the significant housing growth required to meet assessed needs and the emphasis should be on creating new sustainable communities in the most appropriate locations not in existing rural areas that are already struggling with poor infrastructure. Many villages have had to accept a larger increase in houses than they would like to see. Bromham Parish Council accepted the 500 homes allocation from the Local Plan 2030 but are concerned that the existing infrastructure will not cope with the increase in traffic, particularly accessing and egressing the village at peak times. We ask that you do not allocate more housing in Bromham but concentrate on new sustainable communities in more appropriate locations. The Parish Council sincerely hopes that these observations are helpful.