Biggleswade Garden Community will be ‘accelerated’ but CBC leader warns 'infrastructure needed'

Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, is aiming to build "hundreds of thousands" of new homes that are currently stuck in the planning system or partially constructed, as she strives to "help end the housing crisis" and "drive growth."

Biggleswade Garden Community is one of three key sites be to progressed, as well as Stretton Hall, Leicestershire, and Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community, Essex.

However although Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) “welcomes” support, its leader, Councillor Adam Zerny, has warned that infrastructure will be needed.

Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, said: “For far too long the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes has been held back by a failure to make sure the development system is working as it should.

“This government has a moral obligation to do everything within our power to build the homes that people desperately need and we won’t hesitate to intervene where we need to.

“Our New Homes Accelerator will quickly identify blockages, fix problems, and support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground.”

The New Homes Accelerator will see an experienced team from the Ministry of Housing and Homes England work across government and with local councils to "accelerate the buildout of housing schemes" delayed by "planning and red tape".

CBC leader, Cllr Adam Zerny, said: "It's encouraging to see a government eager to take action in its first 100 days, and delays with big housing sites are common occurrences.

"However, I would caution that slow delivery is caused by a range issues, the complex nature of co-ordinating vast numbers of factors which are often outside of the control of councils, and it will be interesting to see if this approach will be able to tackle all the issues which affect delivery.

"Wherever this council needs to work in concert with developers, it will do so, and any help from the government, if needed, is welcome."

However, Councillor Zerny added as a "caution", that any kind of planning speed-up should "not risk proper controls over planning", adding that the planning process is "just one factor" in the delivery of new homes.

He said: "The planning process needs to work at an appropriate speed to allow the public to comment on what might happen, to influence decisions, and take an active part in the development of their community.”

He also called for the "appropriate infrastructure" to be built alongside any new homes.

Councillor Zerny continued: "It's no good just building houses; we need the schools, parks, doctor surgeries, roads and public transport that will turn these from being housing estates into communities.

"We must also ensure this infrastructure benefits the existing communities and takes account of what they need now, such as healthcare and leisure, which is particularly noticeable in places like Biggleswade and Leighton Buzzard.

"And with big developments, the government needs to think seriously about how to change the current system to provide the 'forward funding' which allows the infrastructure to be in place when the development is built, not years later."

Back in 2018, the Conservative government published a prospectus inviting ambitious proposals from local authorities for high quality new garden communities at scale.

The chosen areas were to become part of its Garden Communities programme - promoting facilities, green space and transport - with Biggleswade included as one of 19 garden villages.

Its outline application was given approval in five years ago, in February 2019, but the development had faced opposition from some, including the Campaign to Protect Rural England Bedfordshire.

Written in 2022, the Central Bedfordshire Council website states: "East of Biggleswade Garden Village was included in Homes England’s Garden Communities Programme in 2019, with 1,500 new homes currently approved for development.

"With our partners Homes England and Biggleswade Town Council, we're exploring options for a sustainable transport corridor to connect existing and new communities in eastern Biggleswade with key destinations in town such as the High Street, the train station and new transport interchange as well as providing access to the new facilities and open spaces developed as part of the east of Biggleswade."

Mayor of Biggleswade, Councillor Mark Foster, added: "Biggleswade Town Council have not been consulted on the detail behind the Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement to accelerate three sites that include 'Biggleswade Garden Community', to unlock 10,000 homes when completed.

"The town council have requested more information from Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC), the Planning Authority.

"The council is a formal consultee in all planning applications relating to Biggleswade and does not make the final decision on any plans or proposals.

"As always, we will review any relevant information provided and respond accordingly to the Planning Authority to ensure the best possible outcomes for Biggleswade residents."

The New Homes Accelerator was announced as part of the Chancellor’s speech in July, which outlined the government’s national mission to drive growth.

A call for evidence has been launched calling upon landowners, local authorities and housebuilders to come forward with details of blocked sites that have significant planning issues, so the government can better understand the scale of the problem across the country, in order to tackle the obstacles that are preventing the delivery of new homes.

Cllr Claire Holland, housing spokeswoman for the Local Government Association, concluded: “Addressing the shortage of all types and tenures of housing, including affordable and social homes, in this country remains top of the priority list for councils.

“Working together to unblock stalled sites through the New Homes Accelerator will deliver more of the homes we need and help to reduce councils’ reliance on temporary accommodation and to tackle homelessness."

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