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New searchTo support the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, employment and business development should be concentrated close to easy to access transport links. The A421 corridor to the west of Bedford provides an ideal opportunity to coordinate road and rail infrastructure to directly interface with distribution networks within a short distance of manufacturing and supply business opportunities. Housing development can be closely associated with this Bedford South/West area within a green corridor to promote sustainable transport regimes to get to work without reliance on vehicular commuting. Walk and cycle routes need to be integrated into a green transport network.
Tranquil villages are attractive because of their timeless quaint appeal. Don’t kill them by forcing new development on them, or the village will morph into a small town with the inadequate infrastructure that evolved from medieval origins. If you want a modern village then create a new purpose designed sustainable Garden Village, with fully integrated infrastructure and green credentials. The Bedford town centre has evolved around a Victorian ethos before the dominance of personal transport and the freedom gained by the motorcar. As such the town centre is no longer an attractive experience for many visitors as it does not meet the requirement of easy access for the car. Out of town retail parks dominate shopping footfall as they are accessed directly door to door, home to shop, by car, with easy on-site free parking. Unless the town centre is reinvented to mimic the convenience of out of town shopping, there will be no appeal to encourage larger shops back into the town. Niche shops by their very nature cater for a limited market, and being prone to the current fashion / flavour of the day can be short lived. Cater for the car and shopping visitors will return. Punish the motorist, and the shoppers will stay away.
In the uncertain future of a post Coronavirus world, any plan needs to be agile and able to adopt new strategies at short notice. Recent central government spending and regulations brought in to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic will take a long time to recover from. Growth plans should realign with the new demand – whatever that may be. Hence a revised Local Plan should be of short duration, as the future may require a change of direction that has not been forecast.
A combination of YELLOW (A421 based), PINK (Rail) and RED (New settlement), with growth focused on the A421 corridor to the west of Bedford provides an ideal opportunity to combine with road and rail infrastructure to support both housing development and new business/employment opportunities. The large brown field Stewartby site was not utilised in the current Local Plan 2030, so is a prime development area. Shared infrastructure with Bedford Southwest and Wixams would provide a long term growth zone that would also capitalise on the Oxford to Cambridge Arc and Expressway transport links. It would interface well with the East-West Rail scheme with a southern station. Rail and/or Bus shuttle could link a southern transport hub/park and ride scheme to support both town centre regeneration and Wixams.
Rail and/or Bus shuttle could link a southern transport hub/park and ride scheme to support both town centre regeneration and Wixams. Redevelopment around St Johns / Kingsway would enable easy access into the town centre, and not be restricted by the parking constraints around Midland Road. East-West Rail must take advantage of this transport hub and take a southerly route out of Bedford as Route B. Leave Midland Road Station to support North-South travel, and a Bedford South hub to provide a natural East-West link with easy topography and low cost civil engineering requirements. Quality infrastructure is needed to support residential growth. Post Covid-19 housing and employment demands my change significantly, so planning for new development requirement will be difficult until a stable equilibrium is re-established. Plans will need to be flexible enough to change direction and avoid being constrained by only solving yesterday’s problem. Rural key service centres were hit hard by the current local plan. Growth should be appropriate and in locations that benefit without negative impact on the area and its local transport infrastructure.
The Cardington / Wixams / Stewartby arc is a prime opportunity to make use of brown field sites for both housing and employment, and readily interfaces with transport networks. Rapid connection with both rail and road networks will attract business and give an easily realised distribution network. East-West links are in the process of major improvements. North-South links are readily served by Midland Rail as well as nearby M1 and A1 roads. The centre of excellence of Cranfield University / Technology Centre is right on the doorstep. This Bedford Southwest growth area is in an ideal position to take benefit from all transport links. Dualling the Bedford West bypass would reinforce this integration.
Bedford Southwest from Cardington to Stewartby can combine with a Bedford South transport hub/park and ride to give a rapid link to the town centre and new employment in the immediate vicinity. East-West Rail must be a Bedford South Station so it has direct links to this crucial area of prime economic growth opportunity. Bus/train shuttles can give rapid transit to the town centre. Redevelopment around St Johns Station/Kingsway will offer a bright, new, and appealing entry to Bedford Central. With the river running through the middle, offering a green/blue avenue to promote health and wellbeing for visitors and town centre workers alike. With the Danfoss site adjacent to St Johns Station now closed, the station has a golden opportunity to expand and feed into a new Bedford Central development that is visitor friendly and uniquely situated around a natural beauty of a water parkland.
The appeal of out of town retail parks is that they are car friendly – they encourage use of personal transport, with on-site free parking immediately adjacent to the shops. This allows shoppers to take purchases straight back to their cars, and not struggle with large items on public transport. The car is king and electric/green vehicle technology needs to be embraced – you must cater for personal transport and not eliminate it. Ample free parking will attract visitors, especially when public transport is not Covid-19 social distancing compatible. Old Victorian style town centres are now dead. The new town centre ethos should take the design cues from the success of out of town retail centres, and reinvent the shopping experience to mirror the retail park, with ample free parking, all within the built area of the town.
It would be difficult to produce guidance beyond that of national standards and enforce it. Look to Scandinavian countries for ideas in more energy efficient house design. District Heating is a prime example of reducing the impact of individual houses.
It would be difficult to produce guidance beyond that of national standards and enforce it. There needs to be (financial ?) encouragement to design and build to the upper end of national standards, and not accept a lower average.
