Biggleswade Neighbourhood Plan 'welcomed' by residents and will be formally adopted by Central Beds Council

The Biggleswade Neighbourhood Plan will soon be formally adopted by Central Bedfordshire Council.

The document was produced by a group of town councillors and residents and aims to "protect the characteristics of the town”, with the plan designating 15 local green spaces to be spared from development.

A referendum was held on Thursday, October 6, with residents voting in favour of the plan.

Councillor Madeline Russell, Deputy Mayor of Biggleswade and chairman of the Biggleswade Neighbourhood Plan Strategy Group, said: “I am delighted that Biggleswade residents have welcomed the Plan. The Strategy Group has worked hard for over four years to create policies which will ensure that the best of Biggleswade is preserved as the town develops.”

Mayor Cllr Grant Fage added: “This is a resounding vote of support for a plan which gives Biggleswade a greater say over how planning applications affect our town.”

The Biggleswade Neighbourhood Plan will now sit alongside the Local Plan prepared by Central Bedfordshire Council and the National Planning Policy Framework as a legal planning document.

The policies within the Neighbourhood Plan will be used to decide future planning applications for Biggleswade.

In the Chronicle's previous article, a Town Council spokesman clarified: "There is a strict framework for the production of a Neighbourhood Plan (as set out on the government website).

"A plan cannot go against either national or Local Plan policies and can only address planning issues, not other issues of importance to the town."

Biggleswade Town Council wishes to thank everyone who voted.