Local Plan 2040 Draft Plan - Strategy options and draft policies consultation

Object

Representation ID: 7045

Received: 17/09/2021

Respondent: Little Staughton Parish Council

> Little Staughton is a small, less than 200 dwellings, village with limited accessibility located on the boundary of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Amenities are limited to a small farm shop/ caravan park, village hall, two churches and a playing field. Access to further amenities, e.g. doctors, schools, shops, requires the use of personal transport with public transport limited to restricted services between Bedford and surrounding villages. This public transport is of limited use as most of the amenities, except schools, are located in Cambridgeshire.
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> Any significant expansion would need to recognise the existing deficiencies in the present infrastructure and accommodate these accordingly. The call for site assessments are limited to the specific sites and do not recognise the potential impact of more than one of these locations being developed. There are presently eight locations with up-to 350 houses under the call for sites review. This would nearly treble the size of the existing village, leading to increased pressure on roads, doctors and the primary school at Kymbrook.
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> There has been ongoing development of individual plots within the agreed settlement area, with up to 20 houses in construction and or planned at the present time. This level of moderate expansion is welcomed for the health and well-being of the village. As part of the 2040 a similar increase could be considered reasonable.
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> As a Parish Council we have objected to all individual sites on the basis that these are outside the established Settlement Policy Boundaries.