Site Assessment Pro Formas

Object

Representation ID: 6075

Received: 09/09/2021

Respondent: Countryside Properties

Agent: Phillips Planning Services

2.1. The site - Land West Of The Village Of Great Barford South Of The A421 is being promoted as part of the Call For Sites process (Site 878). [Site location plan inserted here.]
2.2. The site is located to the west of Bedford Road on the edge of Great Barford. Great Barford is a Key Service Centre benefiting from a range of services and facilities.

2.3. The land we are promoting in this submission is in addition to land under option that we are already promoting in the emerging Neighbourhood Plan. As can be seen in the above plan, this site adjoins the draft allocation for 500 dwellings in the emerging Great Barford Neighbourhood Plan, which is currently being examined by an independent examiner following the Regulation 16 stage consultation. It is projected that the plan will be at referendum around October 2021.

2.4. It is not clear yet whether the whole of the (draft) allocated site will be required to meet the policy requirements of the Neighbourhood Plan, but if it is not all required, then any remaining land would be available for future growth at Great Barford/can integrate with any development with the current allocation.

2.5. The land could deliver an additional 500 dwellings or more, in addition to the new homes and community facilities being brought forward through the Neighbourhood Plan.

2.6. The site is within the Oxford to Cambridge Arc and has excellent links to the A421. Access to any development will be provided off Bedford Road which will allow traffic to access the A421 without the need to travel through the village.
3.19. Countryside Properties (UK) Limited controls land along Bedford Road, known as Land West Of The Village Of Great Barford South Of The A421, which is being promoted through the Call For Sites process (Site 878). This land is in the control of a single promoter and can easily deliver further growth.

3.20. The site we are promoting adjoins the land allocated for 500 dwellings in the Draft Neighbourhood Plan under Policy H1 – Great Barford West. However, there is a probability that not all of this allocated land is required to meet the objectives of Policy H1. The remaining land within the allocation as well as the adjoining land to the west and north, and heading out to the A421, is also available for development and could provide further strategic growth in this location, ensuring there is a continued supply of new homes into the new local plan period. This is a highly deliverable site and would be seen as a logical extension to the village following the Neighbourhood Plan development, and could deliver an additional 500 dwellings or more, furthering the objectives of the Neighbourhood Plan to deliver new community facilities for the village.

3.21. As previously identified, the site is within a highly accessible location on the A421 growth corridor and is therefore in an ideal location for such development which will act as a draw into the Borough and increase the value of the local economy. Matters such as highway mitigation can be resolved through engagement with key stakeholders and Countryside is responsible for the delivery of significant elements of infrastructure within their strategic sites.

3.22. Land at Great Barford West will be served by new infrastructure including, utilities, roads, footpaths, cycleways, open space, education, and health and community facilities. There is an opportunity for further growth in the wider site which builds upon this infrastructure, contributing towards delivery.

3.23. Another benefit of this site is it that it can connect to the A421 to the west, without the need for traffic to go through the existing village. This means that new housing and employment can be delivered and accessed without resulting in an adverse impact on the existing village road network, and would be particularly beneficial during the construction phase.

3.24. The development of Land West Of The Village Of Great Barford South Of The A421 would support the delivery of growth within the A421 corridor, be close to the route of East-West Rail, and would clearly comply with the ambitions of delivering development which corresponds to strategic connections within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.