Borough and district level policies
Bedfordshire has three district authorities: Bedford Borough Council, Mid-Bedfordshire District Council and South Bedfordshire District Council. Whilst we are the Highway Authority and as such are responsible for developing transport policy on a county wide basis, the District Councils have a significant role in delivering and implementing transport policies through their planning function. Local Plans and the emerging Local Development Frameworks (LDFs) set out local priorities (within the wider context) and the mechanisms to deliver them through the development control and development brief processes.
In the case of South Bedfordshire the significance of the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy means that Luton Borough Council will have an important role in the Local Development Framework process for the southern part of the County. The scale of growth and the major strategic planning issues that need addressing in its delivery have resulted in the decision to produce a joint LDF for South Bedfordshire District and Luton Borough. A Joint Planning and Transport Committee, made up of representatives from these two local authorities, together with Bedfordshire County Council, is managing this process. The joint committee will take responsibility for the integration of land use and transport policy in the LTP.
Local Development Frameworks
The three Local Development Frameworks will specify where new development will actually occur and what transport infrastructure and measures should support that development.
As explained above, the frameworks will be the responsibility of the district and borough councils who will be expected to include consideration of their other roles including housing policy, economic development, environmental health and air quality in particular. As indicated earlier, helping to get these frameworks right from a transport perspective will be one of our priorities during LTP2. The production of LTP2 will be a key factor that will help to:
- create sustainable development;
- alleviate current deficiencies in the transport network;
- make the network more accessible;
- promote more sustainable forms of transport; and
- see transport as a means to an end rather than an end in itself, while recognising that current, and potential future, levels of accessibility are an issue when considering the location of development.
A key part of the LDF process with particular relevance to LTP2 is the Core Strategy, one of the required local development documents. The Core Strategy is seen as setting out the vision, objectives and strategy for the spatial development of an area. It will include a key diagram to indicate the broad policy approach to development.
Current progress on Core Strategies in Bedfordshire varies. Bedford Borough is the most advanced. In January 2006 it published for consultation the document ‘Core Strategy and Rural Issues Plan Preferred Option’. This document was prepared following earlier consultation on issues and possible options. It recognises the crucial importance of transport infrastructure to the growth proposals and spatial planning for the borough. The Core Strategy supports the objectives, strategy and programme set out in LTP2 and sees it as critical in helping to address the current transport infrastructure deficit, improve connectivity to the strategic network, reduce congestion and reliance on the car and improve accessibility. In addition, it prioritises the most important schemes.
In the case of Mid Bedfordshire District and the joint arrangements for South Bedfordshire District and Luton Borough preliminary work on the issues and options for the respective Core Strategies has already been undertaken. Public consultation for the former was already underway in early 2006 and is due by mid 2006 for the latter. LTP2 will be equally crucial for these areas for the same reasons identified by Bedford Borough.
Housing
Bedfordshire has a pressured housing market with demand currently outstripping supply, in common with much of the eastern region. In general housing costs fall as distance from London increases. Levels of home ownership are above the national average.
As discussed earlier, future housing provision will be as set out in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy and the East of England Plan. The area that the Sub-Regional strategy covers is shown in Figure 2.1 – Regional Context. In Bedfordshire itself growth will be focused in two principle areas:
- the Bedford / Northern Marston Vale area (19,500 dwellings to 2021); and
- around Luton, Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Leighton Linslade) (26,300 dwellings to 2021).
Picture 3 New housing at Pratts Pit, Leighton Buzzard
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In addition to the growth identified above the Draft East of England Plan identifies a requirement for 10,700 dwellings in the rest of the County. The vast majority of this, some 77%, is identified for Mid Bedfordshire and largely reflects current committed development, in particular in the east of the District. Together this gives a required provision of 56,500 dwellings for Bedfordshire and Luton for the period 2001-2021.
Figure 4 ‘Major housing sites in Bedfordshire and areas of future development’ below shows the locations of the larger development areas in Bedfordshire and the future housing requirements in the sub-regional strategy.
For the Bedford area, the growth allocation is based on current policies and commitments with much of the growth occurring in areas to the south and west of the town.
The allocation for Luton, Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Leighton-Linslade includes significant levels of new growth from that contained in current policies and commitments. Further work is needed to define the precise areas and scale of development.
This rate of housing development will clearly have transport implications for Bedfordshire and delivery of this growth will to a large extent be dependant on the implementation of major transport infrastructure, which is discussed in Chapter 5 under ‘Major Projects’. This is also true for the other areas included in the sub-regional strategy. All the transport authorities covered by Milton Keynes and South Midlands strategy have therefore agreed a set of transport principles to help guide how transport implications are managed. This is discussed later and the joint statement produced by the authorities is included as Appendix O.
Adjacent LTP Areas
In addition to joint working with Luton, Bedfordshire borders with five other LTP areas, each with its own policy environment and priorities. These are: Buckinghamshire County Council (South East Region), Cambridgeshire County Council (East of England), Hertfordshire County Council (East of England), Northamptonshire County Council (East Midlands) and Milton Keynes Borough Council (South East Region).
The strong interrelationships between Bedfordshire and surrounding areas means that cross-boundary issues are important for us. This theme runs throughout the LTP, but particularly in Chapter 5 where cross-boundary policy development is described.
Summary
This chapter has demonstrated that the LTP must be developed in a large and complicated policy environment.
In general, the numerous National, Regional and Local policies, objectives and actions are consistent with each other. However, in some cases, for example with policies or strategies relating to the economy and the environment, tensions do exist and choices or trade-offs may be involved.
Deciding how best to contribute to this wide range of objectives is a central feature of preparing this Local Transport Plan. Most crucial for this LTP are the implications of increasing levels of activity in the area arising from housing and economic policy.
Before developing our objectives for this LTP, in the next chapter we use a range of information and local knowledge to construct a detailed picture of transport in Bedfordshire.
Figure 4 Major housing sites in Bedfordshire and areas of future development
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Policy Area |
Main Influence on the Bedfordshire LTP |
How we have responded |
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National Transport Policy |
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National Planning Policy |
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Other National Policy |
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Regional Policy |
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Sub-Regional Policy |
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Local Planning Policy |
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Other Local Policy |
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