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

Object

Representation ID: 6678

Received: 14/09/2021

Respondent: Willington Parish Council

1. The vision states that development will be avoided in areas of high flood risk, however the dominant flood risk in the Borough is to the south and east, which are the areas indicated in the emerging preferred options. In the north where there is little or no flood risk, there is no significant development proposed. [Flood risk map inserted.}
2. The vision also states that the Forest of Marston Vale will continue to grow, however there is also a conflict between this and development being focused in the south and east of the Borough.

Object

Representation ID: 6679

Received: 14/09/2021

Respondent: Willington Parish Council

3. Within the Local Plan 2030 the future potential to develop a new settlement at Thurleigh Airfield is mentioned, however there is no mention of this within the Strategy Options and Draft Policies Consultation document.
4. The infrastructure in the Borough is already stretched and utilising opportunities such as Thurleigh Airfield would present an opportunity to develop disused land and create new infrastructure to support the growth, rather than stretching the existing provision in the south and east of the Borough.

Object

Representation ID: 6680

Received: 14/09/2021

Respondent: Willington Parish Council

5. The recently adopted Local Plan 2030 makes mention of protecting agricultural land of grades 1-3a within its section on Resources and Climate Change, however there is no mention of this in the Local Plan 2040 draft plan strategies options and draft policies consultation. Furthermore there is no reference to the Borough prioritising the development of land that has been previously used rather than higher grade land. Farming is an important part of the economic and community in the Borough and the Local Plan should seek to protect high grade agricultural land.

Object

Representation ID: 6681

Received: 14/09/2021

Respondent: Willington Parish Council

6. The transport analysis refers to CO2 emissions from private vehicles when discounting some of the options within the Strategy Options and Draft Policies Consultation document. Has proper consideration to the government policy to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans in 2030 been properly taken into consideration in these calculations?

Object

Representation ID: 6682

Received: 14/09/2021

Respondent: Willington Parish Council

7. We also note the briefing document prepared by CPRE, the countryside charity which is critical of the use of the Governments discredited Standard Method algorithm. It is astounding that the results of this have resulted in housing targets that are
a. One of the highest of any local authority in the South East of England outside the Greater London Metropolitan area
b. Higher than the City of Cambridge or any local authority in Cambridgeshire (Cambridgeshire is more than twice the size of Bedfordshire)
c. Higher than the City of Oxford or any local authority in Oxfordshire (Oxfordshire is more than twice the size of Bedfordshire)
d. A target 30% higher than Huntingdonshire District Council and 18% higher than South Cambridgeshire (both of which having similar populations to Bedford Borough)
e. 31% higher than North Hertfordshire, 180% higher than East Northamptonshire, 142% higher than Kettering and 266% higher than Wellingborough