Plans for Industrial development at Tempsford approved despite objections

Three buildings which divide into six units can be built by applicant CPG Sandy Limited on part of the Flamingo Flowers commercial site.

These premises are for industrial and logistics uses, with office space, servicing areas and landscaping, according to a report to Central Bedfordshire Council’s development management committee. There are 171 parking spaces and storage for 66 bicycles, said the report.

Principal planning officer Tom Mead told the committee: “This scheme will provide almost 15,000sqm of employment space on an allocated site within the Local Plan, and is expected to deliver between 217 and 422 jobs.

“An industrial unit Flamingo Flowers, which operates 24 hours a day, is immediately to the south,” he said. “The eastern boundary of the 11-acre site is alongside the A1.

“In response to parish council concerns, the applicant has agreed to commit to restricting HGVs accessing the site from coming off the A1 via the slip road on to Little Barford Road.

“Instead, they’ll be directed southbound to the Sandy roundabout and travel back northbound to access the premises straight off the A1. The employment generating use attracts substantial positive weight.

“With conditions, the plans wouldn’t unacceptably harm the amenity of neighbouring properties.”

Resident Adam Riches, speaking on behalf of those living next door to the development, listed five concerns: “the scale of the buildings and their proximity to homes, privacy and security, noise, drainage and lighting”.

He warned: “If the current bund is removed or reduced and visitor numbers increase, secure fencing along the entire boundary should be a minimum requirement.”

Director of Charterhouse Strategic Land Oliver Taylor described the firm as the main holding company for the applicant, saying: “The Local Plan has decided this site should provide jobs.

“When it does, our role is to be a good neighbour for the nearby homes and villages. We started with five buildings, which was ‘too much and too close’, before reducing it to three with each of the service yards turned inwards.

“At night, our scheme adds no more than two decibels below what most people perceive. The acoustic barriers along the boundaries reduce the noise by three to five decibels as modelled, more than offsetting the increase.

“We’ve listened to parish council feedback with Tempsford and Blunham telling us they ‘don’t want more lorries’ on their roads. Lorries leaving the site will be directed to the A1 with new signs to stop drivers overshooting into Blunham.

“We met with the drainage board and revised our strategy in response to its comment. Foul water is being treated on site, so nothing is being added to the Anglian Water network.

“The site could support around 400 jobs, depending on who occupies it. New footways, cycle links and bus stops will be in place, with funding for a bus service extension to coincide with the hours of site operation.”

Conservative Dunstable West councillor Nigel Young explained: “As an allocated employment site, there’s no route to refusing this.

“What’s most important is the landscaping fully mitigates the impact on residents, so that they’re not massively disadvantaged by development.”

The committee approved the project with one abstention, subject to conditions. These include one about fire safety, the secure boundary treatment plan and a surface water drainage scheme for flood risk.