Revised plans for controversial 416-home development north of Biggleswade approved

Applicant Hallam Land Management Limited’s outline plans include the housing with up to 125 affordable properties, landscaping, allotments, a community orchard, public open space and children’s play area.

Access would be from Furzenhall Road and from the roundabout at Potton Road and Baden Powell Way, according to a report to Central Bedfordshire Council’s development management committee.

Outline planning permission was granted recently at appeal for the same quantum of development on the 50-acre site, said the report.

“This offers a secondary point of access mitigating concerns in August 2023 about the impact on Furzenhall Road, which is a bridleway. This would be upgraded to accommodate traffic with pedestrians, cyclists and equestrian use.

“The application’s effect on the local highways network would be acceptable, subject to measures secured by condition and through planning obligations.”

Planning officer Nik Smith said: “This application differs in that a new access is proposed, with around 340 homes served by it.

“There’s a bus gate with an ANPR camera system funded by the developer to stop residents from part of the site using the other narrow site access.

“The principle of development is robustly established by the allocation in the Local Plan and by the appeal decision. The road is the difference, which is outside the allocation area within the countryside.”

Biggleswade town councillor Madeline Russell suggested: “There are three strong reasons to reject this application, incursion into good quality farmland, no improvement to the severe impact on the wider road network and harm to a neolithic scheduled monument of national importance.

“There remains a negative impact on Furzenhall Road, still the pinch point, traffic calming and loss of parking. No mitigation is proposed for the Sun Street and Shortmead Street junction.

“The over-riding problem is the impact on heritage, one which the applicant acknowledges is harmful.”

Former CBC councillor Ian Bond represented Biggleswade History Society, saying: “The application includes significant extra land close to heritage sites.

“If approved this will cause lasting damage to an area of national archaeological importance and the setting of Biggleswade Common.”

Conservative Biggleswade East councillor Grant Fage said in a statement that his “concern was with the new access road cutting through agricultural land and encroaching on Biggleswade Common”.

Independent Biggleswade West councillor Hayley Whitaker objected, adding in a statement: “This new road is a significant deviation from the original design brief.

“We can’t ignore the Hallam Land Management master plan shows far more than 416 homes planned for this area. This new access will make that wider development far easier to approve.”

Partner with agent Carter Jonas LLP Paul Belton explained: “After the initial plans were refused, we were asked to produce a revised application with another access to the site.

“The applicant listened and prepared these proposals with an alternative and improved access. We hoped this would be considered before the planning inquiry, allowing the appeal to be withdrawn.

“The approval notice was issued last month. There are no parking restrictions planned for Furzenhall Road. The amount of vehicle movements along there will be dramatically fewer.

“The harm caused is limited. This would improve connections to the Biggleswade Green Wheel and provide biodiversity net gain away from the development.” Councillors approved the project.