Bedford Borough Local Plan 2040 Plan for Submission

Comment

Representation ID: 9882

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Odell Parish Council

Odell Parish Council welcomes the general approach to future development in the Borough which would be focused on the existing urban areas or in specific new settlements that will be served by major roads and railway stations that have the capacity to carry additional traffic. Our principal concern is that the rural nature of the River Great Ouse Valley and its surrounding areas north of Bedford is not eroded by excessive residential or industrial development.

We appreciate that much of this additional development will be back-end weighted and phased so that it can only take place as and when new infrastructure is in place - specifically the Black Cat roundabout towards Cambridge and the new East-West Rail line. We also recognise that there is no extensive new housing allocated to the north of Bedford which would make the existing major issues of congestion and inadequate road capacity during peak hours even worse.

We are also pleased that the key policies referenced in Odell’s recently completed Neighbourhood Plan will be carried forward into the new Bedford Borough Local Plan 2040.

Comment

Representation ID: 9883

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Odell Parish Council

However, a major concern is that the Plan still uses the widely discredited Government methodology from 2014 to over-forecast the demand for new housing. This does not take account of post-pandemic changes in work-life patterns and post-Brexit reductions in economic growth. This is of great concern to current residents as it results in an excessive estimate of housing demand and hence new building sites. We would wish to see the Borough challenge these demands more rigorously in order to preserve the essentially rural nature of most of the Borough, particularly since the Borough has consistently met or exceeded its targets in recent years. In essence, we hope that Local Plan 2045v will be with us before we see 1000+ houses per year being built in the Borough.

If the main issue for the Borough is a shortage of genuinely affordable housing to rent or buy and their insufficient provision of social housing to rent through BPHA and other providers, the Plan appears to do little to address this imbalance, with major housebuilders pressing for ever more construction of expensive private housing without addressing the needs of the Borough or indeed the expanded local population. We would like to see firmer and more transparent action on this point from the Mayor and the Borough planning department.
The 500-home development proposed for our neighbouring village Sharnbrook is a case in point where the new population will increase demand on the local services that Odell residents depend on, such as the GP surgery and local schools and add to the already congested roads in both village centres and on trunk routes.

Comment

Representation ID: 9884

Received: 29/07/2022

Respondent: Odell Parish Council

A disappointing aspect of the Local Plan 2040 is its omission of any reference to the importance of its rural areas. The River Great Ouse and the open countryside to the north are highly appreciated by Odell’s residents and indeed the many visitors who use its paths, bridleways, and award-winning Country Park. We feel that whilst the Local Plan 2040 is so closely focused on economic growth an opportunity has been lost to stress the importance of preserving this natural environment. The views from this extensive network, the health benefits of clean air and dark skies and the recreational value of this landscape should feature far more prominently in a Plan for a pleasant, successful, and vibrant Borough, to which we all aspire.