Issues and Options

Yes

We support the proposed scope of the Plan. The Plan will focus mainly on growth and infrastructure. As set out within the introductory text, Bedford is located within the centre of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc. The Government has a long-term ambition to see economic growth in this area. As well as taking advantaged of improved east-west connectivity, it is considered that the plan should also look at improving connectivity within the borough itself to enhance the attractiveness of Bedford for businesses and residents.

to attract high tech employment sectors. It is considered that the Plan should look to take advantage of opportunities for economic growth by helping new and existing business with readier access to the commercial space they need.

Brown – Urban based growth , Yellow – A421 based growth , Pink – Rail growth

It is acknowledged that there are an infinite number of growth locations/options which the Council could have considered. We believe a broad range of locations have been considered to enable the key issues of delivering growth across the Borough to be tested. We support the urban based option which would allow growth in locations which already have existing infrastructure and good connections to Bedford town centre. Urban locations have the greatest potential for sustainable travel choices and the urban based growth option would therefore target growth within the most sustainable locations. The A421 based growth option is also supported as it would allow growth to take advantage of existing and proposed infrastructure improvements. Both of the above growth options would allow a phased approach to growth which could be linked to upgraded infrastructure. They would also reduce the need for growth within rural areas which would have the potential to detrimentally impact on the character of these areas. We note the disadvantages set out by the Council of both growth options which include that rural locations would miss the benefits associated with growth, however, as set out within the disadvantages of the dispersed growth option, the majority of rural areas would not have the existing infrastructure in place to accommodate growth if it was evenly dispersed throughout the borough. An even spread of growth across the borough and a lack of focused critical mass would make providing strategic infrastructure more difficult, as the locations would not benefit from economies of scale. As such, the growth options which target growth within areas of the borough with existing infrastructure or the ability to provide enhanced infrastructure should be supported. The East-West rail northern station growth option is not supported, this focuses growth solely within one area of the borough and other sustainable locations would miss out on the benefits associated with growth. The development north of Bedford would require a new northern station which is not currently proposed, the development of this would therefore have significant time implications for achieving growth within this area. The rail growth option would combine some of the benefits of the urban and A421 growth location options. It would provide opportunities for high-tech employment development in association with East-West rail. When considering growth options, it is essential that the Council allow for a consistent rate of growth throughout the plan period. FCC’s site at Elstow South, as shown on Figure 1 will be available for employment development in 2029 which would allow for continued growth in the second half of the plan period within sustainable locations adjacent to the urban area as proposed by the urban growth option. As set out within the urban growth, A421 growth and rail growth options, growth should be focused along intersections with existing major infrastructure which will create new opportunities for logistics and distribution industries, and are also most likely to support new settlements. The final option should ensure sufficient flexibility to meet the changing economic needs over the plan period.

The Council’s recognition that the delivery of new infrastructure is crucial to the development of Bedford as an economically prosperous, attractive and healthy borough is welcomed. In order to maximise the delivery of growth the Council should seek to deliver a broad range of new infrastructure, including improving rail and public transport accessibility and improving / providing new link roads. FCC’s site at Elstow South, submitted at the Call for Sites submission could provide land for a link road from the Bedford Business Park in the west to the A6 in the east which provides a direct connection to the south and the A421 in the north. The provision of this link road shown in Figure 2 would help to mitigate congestion on the edge of the urban area and would allow additional economic development to take place in the surrounding area. FCC has undertaken initial feasibility work to explore options of providing a new link road from the A6 in the east across the Site to provide direct access to the land to the west of the railway line known as Bedford Business Park. The new road would be taken from the existing roundabout to the north east of FCC’s site at Elstow South, route through the Site to join the roundabout proposed as part of the Bedford Business Park development. The link road would reduce congestion between central Bedford and the Bedford Business Park. The link road would provide a direct route between the Bedford Business Park and the A421 which forms part of the trunk road network. This would be beneficial to HGVs which are more likely to use the A421 than to route into central Bedford.

It is considered that generally, employment sites (including those within the new E Use Class), should be located within sustainable locations within close proximity to the potential workforce, public transport and the road network. As set out within our answers above, we believe FCC’s site at Elstow South is sustainably located to deliver a large scale (120,000m2) strategic employment development. The Site is located on the edge of the urban area. It is bordered by deciduous tree belts to the east, south and west and by the Council owned landfill to the north. The A6 trunk road runs close by to the east. Recently built residential properties at Wixams are located to the southeast, with an extensive industrial estate immediately to the west of these. A large area south-west of the Site is being developed for further employment development. Further west beyond the railway line is a large site known as Bedford Business Park. A planning application is pending for the development of 233,360m2 of B2 and B8 floorspace. The site is therefore located in a highly sustainable location in close proximity to the urban area of Bedford, existing residents at Wixams in the south and would help to achieve further economic growth within this area. FCC’s second employment site is located at Stewartby Landfill site is shown on Figure 3. This site is located on the edge of the settlement of Stewartby. The land to the east of the Site is allocated within the existing Bedford Local Plan for a large scale residential led development which will includes 1,000 new homes, 1.31 hectares of employment land, a new primary school and pre-school and community facilities including retail. Therefore, the development of this site for additional employment uses would complement the existing development proposed within this area. Both of the site’s FCC are promoting for employment development are located within close proximity to the borough’s large scale residential allocations at the Stewartby Brickworks and Wixams. The sites will be available within the plan period to deliver significant employment floorspace and further growth within these areas and are promoted through the Call for Sites.

In order to ensure that Bedford can capture the benefits of greater connectivity to the economic centres of Oxford and Cambridge, it is vital that the Council ensure that the appropriate infrastructure is in place throughout the borough in order to capitalise on the improvements provided through East-West Rail. Investment in the arc is primarily focused on Oxford and Cambridge. Bedford is located broadly centrally within the arc, therefore investment in infrastructure would help to unlock growth within Bedford. The creation of transport hubs where new infrastructure connects within existing road and rail will create new opportunities for both commercial and residential development. The delivery of housing and employment units alongside infrastructure will be essential in capturing the benefits of the proximity to Oxford and Cambridge. Bedford is more affordable than Oxford and Cambridge, as such the opportunity exists with greater connectivity and reduced journey times to provide additional employment and housing opportunities within Bedford to support those living and working within other areas across the arc. Development within Bedford should ensure that it provides a high quality living environment with access to employment opportunities.