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In this section we include some of the county issues the branch deals with on a regular basis or has been engaged in over the last few months or even years. We refer to strategic planning matters and large scale planning applications

 

Waste

 

Bedfordshire has many substantial voids left from mineral extraction. These have come to be seen as suitable sites for the disposal of increasing amounts of waste now being generated; indeed some historic permissions for extraction have required restoration with 'appropriate materials.’ General waste has in the past been determined as appropriate.

This has resulted in the commercial exploitation of several of the voids for massive inputs of waste from other areas, mainly London with attendant problems of traffic, litter, smells, vermin, noise and the loss of land which has started natural regeneration.

CPRE Bedfordshire supports national and regional policies on waste minimisation. We are opposed to any new major landfill site while there is still space in currently licensed sites. We are not opposed to extending the life of existing sites if inputs can be restricted to local waste. CPRE Beds is also opposed to proposals for an Energy From Waste plant in the Rookery Pit at Stewartby.

 

Covanta Rookery South Energy from Waste Plant at Stewartby

 

The Rookery South project proposed by US energy company Covanta is the first application to be handled by the IPC (the government’s newly established Infrastructure Planning Commission) and has attracted national attention.

CPRE’s concerns, which are shared with the residents of the Marston Vale, are:

• The visual impact of a 50m high building with a 110m exhaust stack.
• The loss of habitat in an area which has naturally regenerated itself over many years.
• The predicted traffic level which could be up to 600 HGV movements each day with associated noise and dust pollution.
• This size of plant would need to draw a significant proportion of its waste input from surrounding counties.
Incineration is inefficient in resource usage and a significant contributor to atmospheric CO2.
• The proposal is contrary in many respects to the Minerals and Waste Local Plan adopted in 2005.

You can read our reasons for objecting to this application submitted with our registration to the IPC (PDF 78KB) . It is important to understand that this is a massive power plant; the level of output energy expected would need the importation of waste from a very wide area, well outside the county boundaries. You may like to refer to The Marston Moretaine Action Group on which CPRE is represented.

Both CPRE Bedfordshire and CPRE Eastern Region office are registered as non-statutory interested parties in IPC’s examination process and a team of six members attended the opening public meeting on 17th January. We expressed concern at the very short periods allowed for responding to information provided by the developer and the IPC, particularly in view of the limited technical expertise available to CPRE and other local voluntary groups and the effort involved in coordinating responses which would not create excessive duplication for the IPC.

BBC TV Look East reported the meeting and their piece included brief comments from CPRE spokesman Barry Halton as well as Cranfield Parish Council and the Marston Moretaine Action Group. Our comment was on the strong likelihood of further industrial development on the site, which would change the rural nature of Marston Vale, should the project be approved. The opportunity was taken to brief the reporter on several other concerns such as visual impact, loss of habitat, traffic and pollution, the pre-emption of the local authorities efforts to develop coherent waste strategies and our general objection to large scale incineration.

For further update refer to What's New - Lastest on Waste: Energy from Waste Plant at Stewartby

 

Energy Recovery Facility, Twinwoods Business Park, Milton Ernest

 

To the north of Bedford, a similar scheme to the above – although only a third the size – has been proposed on the Twinwoods Business Park in the Parish of Milton Ernest.

An earlier application, made in June 2009, was refused since rather like Covanta, the applicant intended to draw waste from well outside Bedfordshire, which would be contrary to the policy principle that waste should be locally sourced. The second application, submitted in November 2010, promised to source 50% of waste from beyond a radius of 25 miles from the application site. Nevertheless, CPRE opposed this application for the following reasons:

The facility will have an adverse impact on the local community by way of emissions and traffic generation, with an estimated 90 additional HGV movements per day through Milton Ernest.

In principle, CPRE supports small-scale Energy from Waste facilities, as a shorter-term solution to waste management, as they are generally designed to serve a local catchment area, thus broadly complying with the proximity principle alluded to in Government Planning Policy Statement PPS10. However, this is contingent on these being both in the right location and having limited or no impact on local communities.

CPRE continues to harbour doubts that this application meets these requirements.

The proposal is contrary towards the emerging waste strategy for Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire, as set out in the Waste Development Framework (WDF), which seeks to direct waste management sites to the south of the Bedford Urban area rather than the north. This approach would ensure that any proposed facilities that do come forward would comply with the general principles of accessibility and sustainability set out in national guidance, in that the better transport links would limit the average journey length of waste transportation within the Bedfordshire area.

CPRE believes that the proposed 25-mile catchment area is too generous. A catchment area of this size could result in waste being transported into Bedfordshire from as far afield as Milton Keynes, Northampton and Wellingborough.

As previously stated, CPRE believes this application is premature in the light of the emerging WDF and could compromise the objectives of the future waste strategy for the whole area.

For further update refer to What's New - Lastest on Waste: Energy Recovery Facility, Twinwoods Business Park, Milton Ernest

 

Local Foods

 

Most of our food comes from the big supermarket chains, which offer little choice in the way of locally produced food. As supermarkets can dictate the prices that they pay farmers, local food producers and retailers in areas such as Bedfordshire can find it difficult to compete for business.

CPRE encourages support towards ‘local foods’, i.e. foods that are grown and processed within 30 miles of the store. Supporting local foods can have several benefits, such as encouraging a more sustainable use of land, reducing transport mileage and impact and supporting local jobs and the rural economy.

In recent years, the branch’s Living Countryside Awards have recognised a number of local food shops and suppliers, including Summerhill Farm Shop in Cardington, Yelnow Organic Farm in Odell, Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association, Wassledine Farm in Upper Gravenhurst, Garden Friends Farm Shop in Roxton, Browns of Stagsden Farm Shop and Pecks Farm Shop in Eggington.

Read more information on the branch’s Living Countryside Awards

 

Food Miles Education Packs

CPRE Bedfordshire has produced a Food Miles Education Pack for use by primary school age children. These colourful packs are full of drawings, quizzes, facts and competitions that make children think about where their food comes from, what effect long-distance travel can have on the environment and the benefits of sourcing local food. They can be used in cross-curricula activities linking food, geography, maths, social issues and more. The packs are a resource for adults working with children and can be used in schools and clubs. The pack also contains details of our Food Miles Poster competition challenge for children.

Click here to view a sample page

The packs cost £30 each . We would be willing to speak about Food Miles and related issues at school assemblies, on request.

The packs have been prepared by CPRE Northamptonshire. The Bedfordshire branch project has been partly funded by a grant from Bedfordshire & Luton Community Foundation.

Please contact us for more information by email ann.cw@cprebeds.org.uk or telephone 01234 353331.

 

Abolition of the Regional Strategy and the emerging ‘localism’ agenda

 

 Following the election of the Coalition Government on 6 May 2010, and as promised within the pre-election Conservative Manifesto, the Local Government Secretary, the Rt Hon Eric Pickles, has since embarked upon a major overhaul of the statutory planning policy framework. This began on 6 July 2010 with the revocation of the Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS), which included the abolition of the East of England Plan. However, on 10th November 2010, the High Court ruled that the Government’s revocation of Regional Spatial Strategies was unlawful. Consequently, regional spatial strategies, including the East of England Plan have been re-established as part of the development plan process.

Along with the pending dissolution of the eight Government Offices (including GO-East) in the summer of 2011, of all Regional Development Agencies by April 2012, and eventually of the only recently formed Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), these actions mark the first steps towards the new Government’s proposed ‘localism’ agenda. As a result, there is now a tangible commitment by the Government to devolve a range of planning powers to local authorities and local communities over time. Whilst this move may prove beneficial in the preservation of the character of our towns, villages and rural areas (in particularly due to the end of top-down housing targets) the exact mechanisms of delivery for key national concerns such as housing and energy production are as yet disconcertingly vague.

Fundamentally, this action has now left a notable vacuum in the statutory planning policy hierarchy, with no current or indeed proposed policy framework in place that will guide development on a regional scale. To this end, all extant planning policy is now contained in either the relevant Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs) or Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) at a national level or in emerging Local Development Framework (LDF) documents and any old-style local development plans that have not lapsed.

CPRE has followed its initial response to the revocation of the RSS by publishing a new charter for Planning Reform Making localism work for the countryside (462K PDF)

For further information on the Planning System please go to our planning help website .

    

An update on the progress of the revocation of the RSS can be found under:
‘What’s New? - House building in the context of Regional Planning Policies’

 

Wind Farm Schemes and Renewable Energy

 

Nationwide, CPRE supports the principle of generating renewable energy from the wind, the sun and the sea to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

While it is recognised that Great Britain has some of the best wind resources in the world, onshore wind turbines have significant visual impacts in rural landscapes. CPRE believes that the location and scale of wind turbines are key factors which planners and developers should take into account. We assess wind turbine proposals for their potential impact on the landscape, taking account of their cumulative impact, and strongly resist those whose impact we consider to be unacceptable.

This stance builds on CPRE's national policy on on-shore wind-farms (PDF 1.7MB)

Accordingly, this branch is currently monitoring a number of wind farm proposals that will have an impact on the rural setting of Bedfordshire. An overview of these proposals, as well as the work carried out by the branch to date, is set out below.

 

Poddington Hinwick Area of North Bedfordshire

CPRE Bedfordshire has been engaged in the successful opposition of a planning application for a proposed wind-farm of three 125m high turbines in the Podington Hinwick area in the north of Bedford Borough, bordering Northamptonshire. Local residents have now been fighting the proposed wind farm inappropriately sited at Podington for 5 years. CPRE Bedfordshire has worked with opposition groups and Campaign to Limit Onshore Windfarm Development - CLOWD throughout.

A montage showing the likely visual impact of the proposal from around 2.5km to the north-west can be seen below.

 

Read CPRE's objection to Podington (PDF 96KB)

As is their right, Nuon Renewables appealed against Bedford Borough’s non-determination of the above application within the statutory timescales. Hurriedly the Borough Planning Committee met to decide what their position would have been had it been able to determine the application, guided by the 200 page report produced by planning officers, which was due to recommend refusal on two counts - noise and the proximity of dwellings. The Committee approved the recommendation but added landscape impact – initially discounted by officers - as a third reason for refusal. The Borough subsequently employed these grounds to oppose the appellant at the Public Inquiry, which was held in Bedford between 13 and 15 January 2010.

Our expert Peter Scott highlighted the importance of landscape when he spoke at the Public Inquiry in Bedford 12-15 January 2010. Read an account(PDF 84KB).

Following the assessment of the proposal by the Inspector at the Inquiry, the Planning Inspectorate issued its decision to dismiss the Appeal on 23rd February 2010. This decision is a vindication of the huge popular opposition to the turbine proposals at Podington. A copy of the recommendation of the Planning Inspector in relation to the proposal can be found at:
The Planning Inspectorate -'Appeal Decision'

 

At Nunwood near the Three Shires Way

The branch is currently involved in the opposition of a further wind-farm proposal at Nun Wood, in the north-west corner of Bedford Borough, an application that Bedford Borough Council has allocated the reference 09/00137/MAF following its submission in January 2009. The Branch will continue to monitor this application and make representations accordingly.

The proposed windfarm would place 12 turbines in three local authorities, within three regional authorities and three local planning departments. This application replaces a previous one for 16 turbines - subsequently withdrawn. However the current layout proposes a greater proportion of turbines in Bedford Borough than in the previous application on land above the settlement of Harrold running up to the Three Shires Way, which forms the authority boundary between Bedford Borough, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire. In terms of landscape quality this area of open farmland is arguably one of the finest in North Bedfordshire.

Read our response to Bedford Borough Council(PDF 108KB)

Chelveston

The branch engaged in the opposition towards an application to erect 9 x 122 m high wind turbines on the site of the former Chelveston Airfield, near the authority boundary between Bedford Borough and East Northamptonshire Councils. This was refused planning permission in February 2011. Four of the turbines would have been sited in Bedford Borough, with the remaining five over the border in East Northamptonshire.

Between Langford and the A1 Trunk Road

CPRE has been campaigning in cooperation with local residents groups and key stakeholders against a wind farm proposal to the south of Biggleswade, Central Bedfordshire application reference MB/09/00118 CB/09/00118 - Land To The North Of Edworth Road Langford at Central Bedfprdshire's document library.

The scheme initially comprised 16 x 110m high turbines that would have provided an installed capacity of 32MW. Consultation on this application took place throughout 2010 and Ffollowing a weight of objection, including our own representations, the applicant formulated a revised proposal of a lesser scale, consisting of only 10 turbines. Central Bedfordshire Council refused this application in January 2011. CPRE will continue to monitor this application and make representations accordingly.

Giant Wind Turbine – Heath & Reach

CPRE has been engaged in the opposition to a recently approved proposal for a Giant Wind Turbine at Double Arches Quarry, Heath & Reach. At a blade-tip height of 149m, this turbine would be half as high again as Big Ben’s Tower, and 29m taller than the turbine narrowly approved at Marston Moretaine.

AWE see the turbine as supplying 'green energy' to the Eastern Urban Extension proposed at Leighton Buzzard in the Luton & South Bedfordshire Core Strategy - for which AWE themselves would be the main developers.

Double Arches Quarry lies within the Green Belt, and in a landscape assessed as of high value and sensitivity in the South Bedfordshire Landscape Character Assessment. Not only will it dominate the local landscape, but its sheer scale means it would be visible from as far away as Woburn Park.

The concept of 'green energy' for the proposed urban extension obviously commands support - in fact the creation of “a small wind farm close to the town to supply a proportion of local electricity needs” is a policy promoted by Leighton Buzzard Town Council itself. But the AWE scheme is neither a wind farm, nor is it small. It is a giant, single, monolithic structure totally out of scale and sympathy with its surroundings.

In approving such a development in the Green Belt, the Council has created a major departure from Green Belt policy which could have implications elsewhere.   In these circumstances, there is a possibility that the Secretary of State could call  the matter in for his own determination.   We have written to the Secretary of State suggesting that he does so.

 

Local Development Frameworks

 

As part of the process of creating the Local Development Framework (LDF) to show how planning will be managed in our area, each district in Bedfordshire has been through a lengthy process of public consultation before being able to publish any of the documents that will make up the final folder of documents, the LDF. Further details on the various stages of the process in the various districts across this county can be read in back copies of Bedfordshire Matters.

Luton and Southern Bedfordshire

CPRE Bedfordshire responded to the Luton & Southern Beds Core Strategy: Preferred Options Consultation in June 2009.

Download CPRE Bedfordshire's response (PDF 80KB)

Download the Preferred Options summary document (PDF 672KB)

Central Bedfordshire (North)

 

Read the latest in relation to the Central Bedfordshire North LDF in What's New, Local Development Framework (LDF)

 

Bedford Development Framework (BDF)

 

A consultation on the pre-submission Allocations and Designations Plan, before its submission by Bedford Borough Council to the Secretary of State, took place between 30th September and 14th November 2011. CPRE Bedfordshire responded to the consultation, raising concerns in relation to two of the site allocations, at Medbury Farm near Elstow and enabling development for the Bedford River Valley Park near Willington.

You can read this response and the latest in relation to the Bedford Development Framework in What's New, Bedford Development Framework BDF – Allocations and Designations Plan

 

Growth Plans for Bedfordshire

 

The East of England Plan is the Government’s Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) produced by the now dissolved East of England Regional Assembly (EERA), which provides a regional level-planning framework for the East of England. Following the dissolution of the East of England Regional Assembly on 31st March 2010, the implementation of the East of England Plan and future updates are now the responsibility of the newly formed East of England Local Government Association (LGA) and the East of England Development Agency.

On 12th March 2010, the outgoing Regional Assembly approved a revised version of the East of England Plan with an extended coverage from 2021 to 2031. Future updates in relation to the Plan are available on EERA’s website, which remains available as a source of information. Please go to the EERA website  for the latest update.

To view CPRE Bedfordshire’s response to the Consultation on the East of England Plan Review to 2031, please download East England Plan Review to 2031 (PDF 32KB)

Bedfordshire, shown in yellow, is in the East of England Region. The neighbouring counties of Northants and Bucks are in separate regions but all three counties make up the Milton Keynes & South Midlands Growth area.

 

Under the Government’s plan for housing growth in Bedfordshire, the provision of 64,500 new dwellings by 2031 has been agreed in the revised East of England Plan, approved in March 2010; of these 51,200 dwellings form part of the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy (MKSM) for housing to 2031, around Bedford and in South Bedfordshire.

The remaining figures are additional allocations under the East of England Plan, largely around Mid-Bedfordshire.

Area / District / Unitary	Dwelling Provision 2011 to 2031 (net increase, with annual average rate in brackets
	Total net increase target April 2001 to March 2031	Annual average increase target April 2001 to March 2031
MKSM Strategy Area: Bedford/Kemptson/Marstan Vale	19,500	980
MKSM Strategy Area: Luton/Dunstable/Houghton Regis together with Leighton Linslade	31,700	1,590
Rest of Bedford UA	1,300	70
Rest of Central Bedfordshire UA	12,000*	600*
Bedfordshire & Luton	64,500	3,230

Note * : Figures of Central Bedfordshire include an assumption of 2,100 homes at Milton Keynes South East Expansion Area

Extract from the East of England Plan: The revision to the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England.

 

Housing in the Marston Vale as part of an Eco-town has been withdrawn but developers indicate their intention to process applications for further growth (housing and industrial) through the normal planning procedures.

Meanwhile, preparatory work undertaken by EERA for the East of England Plan Review up to 2031 included consideration of a potential new regional scale settlement within the Bedfordshire area, of up to 20,000 dwellings. Three alternative areas were considered for such a settlement, namely the A5120/ Midland Mainline Corridor, the A1 East Bedfordshire Strategic corridor and the Marston Vale. A new settlement at any one of these locations would clearly have a detrimental impact upon landscape, in addition to concerns that Bedfordshire has had a historic and continuing difficulty in generating jobs, and a new settlement would jeopardise the successful regeneration of Bedford and the planned expansion of Milton Keynes. However as of yet, no such proposals for a new settlement have been progressed.

Bedfordshire could see a total of some 85,000 new dwellings by 2031 making a regional total of approximately 500,000 new dwellings by 2031.

In recent years CPRE has supported the Government’s improved policies for new homes and urban renewal, but is concerned that the major Greenfield development proposals, as in the MKSM, could be at the expense of the environment and declining urban areas. The current strategy contains major threats to designated Green Belt and the wider countryside; road schemes which will fuel traffic growth and congestion. It will not guarantee long term affordable housing and has no mechanism for creating jobs for the future.

Plans for Bedfordshire are featured in the MKSM which covers one of the four growth areas under the government’s Sustainable Communities Plan for the East of England, which is available at Communities and Local Government - Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future

 

Milton Keynes City Expansion

 

Plans for the expansion of Milton Keynes (MK) are an extension of one of the four main growth areas under the Milton Keynes & South Midlands sub Regional Strategy (see the Sustainable Communities Plan).

At the Inquiry into the Draft South East Plan (SEP), held between November 2006 and March 2007, representatives of various groups from Bedfordshire argued against the numbers of dwellings proposed for the extension of Milton Keynes into Bedfordshire, in the so-called Aspley triangle. They also argued that development should not be considered under the auspices of the SEP, as Bedfordshire was a part of the Eastern Region. Mid Beds District Council advocated its plan to extend the South Beds Green Belt north of the village of Aspley Guise to prevent coalescence of the historic village with the new extension to Milton Keynes. This proposal had received widespread support in the locality. However, when the South East Plan Panel reported, they recommended that there should be10,400 homes in the South East Strategic Development Area, with 4,800 in Milton Keynes and 5,600 in Mid Beds.

 

  ...........   read more about MK Expansion

 

Center Parcs

 

View before development	After development ?

 

The branch has been engaged in responding to the plans for a 5th ‘holiday village’ to be built in Warren Wood, Millbrook (off A507). Although not against such resorts in principle, CPRE Beds, along with many other groups including Steppingley Parish Council, is concerned that such a development is inappropriate for the location which is on Green Belt land and in an Area of Great Landscape Value; the building of 700 villas, a hotel and a conference centre and the many leisure facilities will draw on shrinking water resources and generate considerable traffic congestion while the contribution to local employment is negligible in an area of low unemployment. See our response by downloading this PDF (60K) document - Center Parcs

Mid Beds District Council originally refused the proposed development in July 2006 as it was contrary to Green Belt policy. However, the Secretary of State (Hazel Blears) did not agree with this and granted permission on the grounds that the need to create jobs for a growth area justified making an exception to policy.

Following an Inquiry in January 2007 into the proposed diversions of footpaths, the Inspector has confirmed the orders for the diversion of two public rights of way. For the many objectors to the village, the loss of well-loved paths across the site has been a very important issue. Horse riders may have benefited most with a new circular bridleway around the wood, at least 30 metres away from main roads, which will connect with various existing and extended rights of way. As of late 2011, there has been some delay to the commencement of major construction works for Center Parcs, while public footpaths are being diverted from the site and a new roundabout and access road are provided from the A507.

 

 

Planning and Climate change

 

Dr. Paul Leinster CBE, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, began his speech at the CPRE Beds Countryside and Design Awards presentation 2008 by drawing attention to climate change as an issue we should all be concerned about.

He states that ‘a lot of people don’t always tie up climate change with their own consumption’ and that it is the ‘responsibility of all of us to reduce our energy consumption however we can to combat climate change.’

Dr. Leinster also raises the issue of specific effects of climate change within Bedfordshire, stating that ‘the flow of the Great Ouse by 2050 will have reduced by 80%.’

Climate change: a threat to the countryside

Climate change is a huge threat to the English countryside because, within a few decades, it is likely to alter many of our most typical and cherished landscapes forever – unless global emissions are drastically reduced. Hotter, drier summers, wetter winters, storms and high winds will threaten many of our landscapes and habitats. Some familiar trees, wild flowers and animals, which are characteristic of our countryside, may no longer be able to survive in a much warmer England. As sea levels rise, large areas of coastland habitat may be flooded. Very dramatic changes are likely, especially in the East of England, with the loss of fens, beaches and entire villages.

We need to tackle climate change by securing the energy we need in ways, which reduce emissions of ‘greenhouse gases’, mainly carbon dioxide. We need to do this in a way that protects our countryside for all to enjoy. CPRE is campaigning for energy policies and solutions that protect both the planet and the countryside. We are changing our climate mainly by burning oil, coal and gas, adding ever more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

CPRE is part of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition

CPREs policy on Energy PDF (May 2009)

For further information on climate change follow the link for the Met Office   where the Hadley Centre, the UK’s foremost climate change research centre is based.

 

Transport, Road Building and Bypasses

 

Increasing traffic congestion brings pressure for new roads and bypasses which CPRE believes should still be the option of last resort. Any short term relief through road building is likely to come at high cost to the countryside. CPRE believes there are better, less damaging solutions. The Government’s Planning Policy on transport (PPG13) advocates CPRE’s approach that road building programmes should always consider the full effect of the schemes on the countryside and the alternative options to road building. Planning and transport policy should: promote accessibility to jobs, shopping, leisure facilities and services by public transport, walking and cycling and should reduce the need to travel, especially by car.

The branch comments on the Local Transport Plan during its preparation. In particular, it has proposed a greater emphasis on local involvement in influencing the development of the plan, encouragement towards individual Parish and Town Councils developing their own Sustainable Transport Plans, and actions relating to the development of cycle routes and passenger transport. It has also campaigned for a policy to identify lanes in the county that could be classified as ‘Quiet’, making them safer and more tranquil for pedestrians, cyclists and horses. The branch monitors all major road building schemes and comments accordingly.

 

Completed Schemes

 

 

A421 dualling improvements

 

The dualling of the A421 between Bedford and M1 J13 was completed in December 2010.

Follow the link to a map of the improvements to the A421 Bedford to M1 Junction 13

CPRE recognised the need to dual the A421 but was unhappy about the impact on the landscape around Wood End, Marston, where the new road made a big sweep into the countryside away from the existing road (see illustration ). We were also concerned about the environmental effects of so much additional road traffic travelling across the county from the A1 to the M1. We are however pleased that lighting was only provided at major linking junctions.

The widened A421 will sweep into the countryside at Wood End, Marston near Marston Thrift, a woodland of special scientific interest (SSSI).

 

East Luton Corridor

 

The East Luton Corridor Improvements Scheme, helping to link the M1 to the airport south of Luton, was completed in June 2009. CPRE Bedfordshire supported the road improvement except for a proposed bus loop which would have carved a chunk out of the historic parkland of Luton Hoo, which flanks the Corridor at this point.  Pressure from CPRE and South Beds District Council forced Luton Borough to withdraw this proposal even though it would have shortened the bus route.

 

Leighton Linslade Western Bypass

 

BEFORE	AFTER
Footpath route Linslade Bypass	Linslade bypass route Feb 06

 

Leighton Linslade Western bypass extending the A505 west of Leighton Buzzard towards Milton Keynes. First illustration (Footpath route Linslade bypass) shows the route we campaigned against through beautiful countryside. We were represented at the public inquiry. In the end we secured an agreement for a reduction to minimal lighting to reduce pollution. The second illustration (Linslade bypass route Feb 06 TA) shows the destruction to the fine landscape.

 

Schemes curently 'In Build'

 

 

M1 Junctions 10 to 13 Improvements

 

Following completion of the widening works on the M1 between Junctions 6A and 10 in December 2008, proposals for widening the route between Junctions 10 and 13 in Central Bedfordshire were abandoned in 2009. Work is currently underway to implement Hard Shoulder Running on the M1, as an alternative means of providing capacity improvements. This involves the use of Active Traffic Management to open the Hard Shoulder to running traffic, but only in heavy traffic.

CPRE supports the principle of Hard Shoulder Running over conventional motorway widening, as it generally avoids the need to acquire new land outside the existing highway boundary. However, additional land has been acquired at Junctions 11 and 12, in order to accommodate improvement works at these locations. The works are due for completion in Spring 2013.

Follow the link to the Highways Agency map of the M1 Jct 10 to 13 Widening

 

Luton & Dunstable Guided Busway

 

The scheme involves the conversion of the former railway route between Luton and Dunstable into a guideway for special buses, which will be capable of running both on the guideway as well as on conventional public roads. This will allow for the provision of new high quality bus services linking Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis.

Given the heavy traffic congestion which occurs regularly throughout the conurbation of Luton / Dunstable / Houghton Regis, CPRE Bedfordshire recognises the need for high quality public transport services within the area. However, the guided busway scheme was subject to opposition during planning stages by parties who favoured a rail-based alternative along the former railway corridor.

This scheme follows the recent opening of a similar guided busway between Cambridge and Huntingdon in August 2011, which received much negative press following a series of delays and cost over-runs. However, early operations indicate that the busway is already proving to be popular with passengers.

The current target date for completion of the Luton – Dunstable guided busway is Spring 2013.

 

Schemes currently in planning stages or approved

 

 

Bedford Western Bypass

 

View from Ridge Road, Kempston towards The Bury & All Saints Church on the left

The first phase of Bedford Western Bypass opened in the Autumn of 2009. CPRE had long campaigned against the route chosen for the crossing of the River Great Ouse, from the flood plain to within 100 metres of All Saints church, Kempston Rural.

The opening of this section of the bypass is being accompanied by continued new housing provision to the west of Bedford and Kempston. However, CPRE recognises that the second phase of Bedford Western Bypass is likely to be more beneficial than Phase 1 in removing more through traffic from Bedford town centre, particularly from the route of the A6 between Clapham and south of Bedford.
The Bedford Western bypass cut through the fields to the right of the parish church seen on the left in the distance. Approx 1000 dwellings will follow this side of the river, enclosing Bury House, far right.

Bedford Borough Council are currently pressing the case for a second phase of Bedford Western Bypass, which would see the provision of a 2.2km link between the A428 at Biddenham and the A6 at Clapham. This route would run parallel to the River Great Ouse east of Bromham and be accompanied by further housing development, consisting of 1200 new homes. CPRE is concerned about the additional traffic that this will generate, not only on the new route but throughout Bedford as a whole.

Phase 2 of Bedford Western Bypass is due for completion by 2015.

 

 A5 - M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass)

 

The road is proposed to run between Thorn Turn on the A5 north of Dunstable to a new Junction 11a on the MI south of Chalton, thus providing an alternative route for north/south traffic moving between the A5 and the Motorway.  It will also provide a direct link between the Motorway and the A505 Leighton Southern Bypass.

CPRE accepts the need for the road in principal, on the basis that it forms a much less damaging proposal for traffic relief in Dunstable than the original 'Easterm Bypass' concept which would have cut right through the base of Blows Down.

  ...........   read more about Dunstable Northern Bypass

 

M1 Junction 10a – Grade Separation

 

The proposed scheme is aimed at alleviating congestion at the existing at-grade roundabout junction to the south of Luton, which connects the M1 Spur to Airport Way.

Options previously considered have included at-grade improvements, in the form of an enlarged roundabout or a cross-roads junction with traffic signal control, and a grade-separated junction making use of the existing Newlands Road under the M1 spur road. The ‘Preferred Option’ is for the creation of a new grade-separated junction, through the provision of a new underpass under the M1 spur road, along with associated connecting roads and new roundabouts. This involves a significant take of land from Stockwood Park as well as incursion into the Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV) opposite the Luton Hoo estate.

As and when the scheme is put forward for planning approval, we shall undoubtedly be making representations, but it should be noted that because of its interaction with the national motorway network and relationship with airport access it is regarded as ‘Nationally Significant’, and will therefore not go through the normal Public Inquiry process but will be considered by the new Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC).

 

Schemes currently  ' on hold '

 

 

Luton Northern Bypass

 

The proposed route for a potential Northern Bypass of Luton would form a new link between the M1, at a new Junction 11A, the A6 and potentially, the A505 to the east of Luton. The main objectives of this new east-west route would be to remove traffic from the urban area of Luton, as well as to provide access to new housing development to the north of Luton. CPRE is concerned about the potential environmental impact of this route, which passes through a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). However, due to key issues of funding and environmental sensitivity, it is unlikely that a Luton Northern Bypass would be built before the 2020s

Updates are available at Luton Borough Council's website

 

Transport, Airport Expansion Luton Airport

 

Proposals for a new runway to the south of the present runway have been withdrawn. It would have taken in a huge area of land lying in the South Beds and North Herts Green Belt, much of the latter being also designated an area of Great Landscape Beauty. It would have blanketed a whole new swathe of countryside with noise and air pollution. The 2nd runway proposal would have enabled the airport to deal with a throughput of 31m passengers p.a., compared with the current throughput of 10m.

A greatly enlarged airport would skirt the edge of Someries Castle, Bedfordshire’s oldest brick building.

The airport’s owners say they will now concentrate on building throughput up to the maximum possible with the existing facilities, assessed by them at 15m p.p.a. As this is 50% above present levels, serious concerns remain about the impacts on the local environment, particularly from the perspective of surface access and traffic generation. CPRE will stay closely in touch with other environmental groups in watching the situation closely.

Information and PDF files of the plan are available for download at this website address Luton Airport Project 2030.

 

Minerals Extraction

 

 The varied geology of Bedfordshire has led to a range of minerals being extracted over the years, from chalk in the south through greensand to clay and gravel further north. The branch comments on the Minerals and Waste Development Framework (Plan), which is owned jointly between Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton Borough Councils. It is particularly concerned at the number of proposals for future gravel extraction at rates higher than currently, and intended to support the proposed housing growth.

 

Nirah

 

 An outlining planning application to build a National Institute for Research into (freshwater) Aquatic Habitats and Visitor Centre, on 40 hectares of a former clay pit (Quest Pit), was submitted 30th November 2006. Central Bedfordshire Council granted outline planning permission for the NIRAH development in September 2009. However, as of 2011, funding for the project is currently in doubt due to the economic downturn. CPREs main concern is the impact of transport issues.

Visit the Nirah website

For further details on the current status of Nirah are available on the Bedfordshire County Council planning pages

 

Bedford River Valley Park / Rowing Lake

 

Permission was granted in July 2006 for the creation of an Olympic sized rowing lake (2300 m long) as part of the ongoing extraction of aggregates at Willington. The Branch did not oppose a rowing lake but opposed the size and position, which results in the severance of the East / West rail link through Bedford. The County Council accepted the need to maintain Bedford ‘as a rowing centre of excellence’ and following the Report on the Examination of the East of England Plan, it also considered that heavy investment in a rail link east of Bedford was not a priority. The Branch is much concerned by the hidden agenda of applications for substantial collateral development which will follow, and which will be ‘justified’ by the need to fund the extra work on the lake.

The lake would form part of the Bedford River Valley Park (BRVP) now owned by the Marston Vale Trust, which produced a Framework document in April 2008 outlining how the Park will be developed. Stakeholder and Public consultation exercises on the Framework took place in 2009 and 2010. The park and associated enabling development are included in the Bedford Development Framework Allocations and Designations Plan, which was subject to pre-submission consultation between September and November 2011. CPRE Bedfordshire submitted a response to this consultation, outlining our opposition towards the scope of the enabling development.

More information is available What's New, Bedford Development Framework BDF – Allocations and Designations Plan

Click link to download a map of River Valley Park (PDF 5.5MB) including the rowing lake.

 

Milton Keynes to Bedford Canal

 

The branch does not oppose the canal in principle but is concerned about the impact of supporting developments on existing villages and the open countryside along its entire route. It is also concerned about the potential loss of tranquillity to the river and its character if the canal traffic joins the river through Bedford itself. We remain sceptical about the unquantified ‘benefits’ of the canal.

 

Green Belt Land

 

 CPRE has long campaigned for Green Belt land to protect our countryside from urban sprawl, by protecting the setting of existing historic towns and villages and by preventing the merging of these settlements. Follow this link to read more about CPRE’s Green Belt Campaign link to CPRE's Green Belt Campaign. The Bedfordshire branch has engaged in many successful campaigns over the years to protect Green Belt land in the county.

In 2004, thanks to prompt action by the Bedfordshire branch, land between Flitwick and Maulden was re-designated as Green Belt by Mid Beds District Council to whom a proposal had been made that the Green Belt status should be removed. Removal could have led to coalescence of the villages through future development.

'View of Green Belt saved' - photographer, Eric Meadows (Click image to enlarge)

 

In 2005, we concluded a major successful joint campaign to retain land as Green Belt alongside Flitwick Moor, in order to protect the Moor itself. Flitwick Moor is Bedfordshire's most important wetland area and an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). In recent years we have also campaigned to protect Green Belt at Toddington, threatened with plans to develop land around a new football stadium. Meanwhile we are still campaigning to extend the Green Belt at Aspley Guise and Husborne Crawley to include the threatened land north of the villages, to prevent coalescence between an expanded Milton Keynes and the villages.

The Green Belt land north and east of Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis and around Leighton Buzzard has been an essential element in preventing development on the valuable landscape north of these towns and around the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Some of this Green Belt status will now be reviewed to accommodate the housing growth demanded by the Government. CPRE Bedfordshire will monitor the review proposals carefully.

 

Housing Developments

 

The branch monitors weekly planning applications for housing and other development in areas that will affect the countryside and its environment and responds to these in a balanced and informed way. We also monitor the briefs for the larger scale developments and comment on strategic plans. Many of these are discussed in our newsletter   Bedfordshire Matters

CPRE Bedfordshire runs regular planning training workshops. Details can be found in Events or by contacting the Branch Office by email ann.cw@bprebeds.org.uk or telephone 01234 353331.

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