'Numerous policy breaches' and 'significant safety hazard' in plans for 416 homes in Biggleswade says MP

Richard Fuller has written a letter to Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) detailing his objections to the controversial proposal for 416 properties to be built on land north of the town.

Mr Fuller has raised issues with the access road, the site's sustainabilty, and access routes to the town centre and railway station.

However, the applicant, Hallam Land Management, believes that the site complies with the adopted Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2021, and says that the new plans now address "the highway related reason for refusal" of its previous application.

Mr Fuller claims: "The overcapacity of the Drove Road/London Road junction during peak times, particularly during school hours, presents a significant safety hazard. The failure to adequately address the increased queue lengths at this junction, where hundreds of pedestrians, including young children, cross daily, is unacceptable."

The controversial proposal was thrown out by Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) last August – but Hallam Land Management has appealed this decision and a planning inquiry is to follow. Meanwhile, they also submitted a new application to address issues raised by the first one.

The application has 683 comments against, and only five in favour. Biggleswade Town Council has also voiced its concerns.

Addressing further issues, Mr Fuller added: "The proposed new access road falls outside the designated development site HAS06 as allocated in the Local Plan. This road runs close to existing homes, including the Carter Meadow children's play area and the road's encroachment on Biggleswade Common is inconsistent with the development brief that the Development Management Committee previously approved."

He also criticsed the "absence of detailed traffic modelling" for Potton Road, the "lack of consideration for busiest periods" at the Shortmead Street/Sun Street junction, and the "inadequate treatment" of Bridleway 10 and National Cycle Route 12.

Mr Fuller added that in his view, the site's sustainability has been "exaggerated", and noted that there were a “lack of any plans” to improve access routes to the town centre and railway station via Potton Road bridge or Lawrence Road.

He concluded: "This planning application presents numerous policy breaches, and significant risks to our local infrastructure and community safety."

In its covering letter to CBC, Hallam's agent, Carter Jonas, states: "The majority of the application site is located within land allocated for residential development in the adopted Central Bedfordshire Local Plan - Site Ref. HAS06: Land North of Biggleswade.

"A previous application for the same quantum of residential development on the allocated site was refused permission because of the proposed access arrangements including a single point of access from Furzenhall Road – see Application Ref. CB/19/04301/OUT.

"The Proposed Development seeks to deliver Site Allocation Ref. HAS06 in the adopted Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2021. The second vehicular access for the proposed development from the roundabout at Potton Road and Baden Powell Way is provided to address the highway related reason for refusal for the previous application at the site."

Residents can view the application using the following code: CB/24/00999.

You can view Mr Fuller's full letter here, which he has published to his Facebook page. The letter is addressed to the CBC case officer, Nikolas Smith.