New Town at Tempsford – CPRE Bedfordshire’s position

Establishing a new generation of New Towns is a key part of the government’s commitment to deliver 1.5 million new homes by 2029.

CPRE Bedfordshire’s position on a New Town near Tempsford

The Government recently consulted on its proposal to build a new town in the vicinity of the proposed new East West rail station at Tempsford.

Our detailed response to the Governments consultation can be seen here:

New Towns Draft Programme Consultation – CPRE Bedfordshire

Why Tempsford?

The land around Tempsford is one of the preferred sites for a large stand-alone New Town. It is a location which the government would like to “fast-track” – with construction potentially beginning by 2029. The Tempsford area was selected in part because of its strategic transport connections, including the planned new station at the junction of the East Coast Main Line and the East West Rail route. Sitting within the government’s proposed Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor, the ambition is for up to 40,000 new homes, together with all the infrastructure you would expect for a town of this size.

The New Towns programme represents a flagship government policy designed to create economic growth and boost housing supply. Both are extremely important for the future of Bedfordshire.

At present, CPRE Bedfordshire is tentatively supporting the proposal. However, there are several significant issues which we need to see resolved first.

We appreciate that the creation of a new town at Tempsford will result in a massive transformation of an area characterised by small rural villages and open countryside. The creation of an extensive urban area is likely to be very unwelcome for many existing residents.

We are not against all development. We seek a brownfield-first approach to new development planning. To meet the needs of a strategic development in the area, for a project of this scale, it is not always possible to use brownfield sites.

Possible positives from a New Town at Tempsford

A new town in the area around Tempsford can potentially bring some benefits to the County:

Contribution to Housing Supply

None of the Local Authorities in Bedfordshire has the required 5-year land supply. Developers have a strong case when applying for planning permission on unallocated sites in unsustainable locations, including within the Green Belt and the Greensand Ridge. This is happening across the County.

Sites allocated for housing are specified in adopted Local Plans. These are determined after local conditions and infrastructure have been assessed. All the Local Authorities in Bedfordshire are in the process of preparing new Local Plans and deciding where to put the new housing required to meet Government housing targets.

The Government has confirmed that houses which form part of a new town will count towards housing targets. A new development at Tempsford will ease the pressure for new housing within Bedfordshire’s rural areas and protect what remains of the Green Belt. As a concept, focusing development in one location rather than spreading it across a wider area has its merits, provided it is planned, designed and developed appropriately.

Connectivity

The new Tempsford station will connect the East Coast Main Line and the new East West Railway. This level of accessibility to the region, London and the North will encourage housing and employment development. If timely and well-planned, the public transport links should significantly reduce reliance on private car use.

Opportunity to create a flagship development

CPRE wants to see new towns in the right places, delivering ambitious climate, nature and community-benefit towns. They should be built to high design standards and provide genuinely affordable homes.

Tempsford, with its new station and strategic location, offers the opportunity to achieve this. We advocate principles for New Towns to be done well following the best planning and environmental principles.

Read more on CPRE’s principles for “New Towns done well”

New employment opportunities

The Tempsford area falls within the proposed Oxford-Cambridge corridor. CPRE have made their position on the Ox Cam Corridor clear.

Whether this Growth Corridor initiative proceeds or not, the new station will ensure that employment opportunities in the area will be accessible across the region. A new town at Tempsford presents an opportunity to become an economic centre, as well as to strengthen the local economy.

Government intervention will be required to ensure the new town delivers the science and technology employment envisaged under the Ox Cam concept, and not large-scale warehousing or data centres which could be located anywhere.

CPRE’s position on the Ox Cam Corridor

What we want to see from the government

Significant Government funding and resources will be needed for the project. The Government’s proposals are outlined in the consultation documents. CPRE Bedfordshire would support the principle of a Government Development Corporation to run and successfully deliver the project.

CPRE Bedfordshire has highlighted some issues in its response to the Government’s consultation that need resolving:

• Early clarification is required of how the new town homes will count towards the Local Authorities’ housing targets and be incorporated into the emerging Local Plans.
• A more detailed analysis should be carried out on the works and costs associated with the project, together with a programme for these. This must include abnormal costs to deal with issues such as highways, flooding and water capacity and supply.
• The Government’s Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) lacked the detail necessary to base the conclusions on. A more significant assessment should be carried out at a very early stage to properly assess the impact of the new development on the local environment. This needs to include the cumulative effects of other proposed developments in the County, such as the Universal United Kingdom theme park and Luton Airport expansion.
• We need to understand what, how much and when government funding is available to ensure infrastructure is put in early, including the station. A long-term commitment to the quality, amount and type of social housing, for sale and rent, must be made and upheld.
• The government needs to play an active role in the project, including forward funding the infrastructure, social housing and working with the rail authorities to deliver the station and services.
• There needs to be clarity on how the government proposes to involve local residents, parish and town councils and the Local Authorities in the plans and delivery of the new town.

What happens next

Government are now assessing the responses to the consultation and completing the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Habitats Regulation Assessments. They intend to publish final proposals and confirm the New Town programme locations later in the summer.

At the same time, they intend to publish a full government response to the recommendations of the New Towns Taskforce, including more detail on how the confirmed locations will be delivered.

At the moment, it is very difficult for CPRE Bedfordshire to provide more precise opinions on the proposal without further information and detail.

We will be monitoring closely the information released to ensure government can deliver the type of high-quality development, public spaces and infrastructure envisaged by the new town concept. We cannot support the proposal without the issues mentioned above being addressed.

In the short term, CPRE Bedfordshire is extremely concerned about an increase in speculative planning applications within the area envisaged for the new town. These would erode the holistic approach required to achieve an effectively well-planned new town.

Background information

Pages 58-9 on the New Towns Taskforce Report outline the proposals for Tempsford.

CPRE’s position on the Ox Cam Corridor

Read more on CPRE’s principles for “New Towns done well”