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The Land at Higham Road proposed development will deliver a new residential offering to the village of Barton-le-Clay that is both community focused and environmentally conscious.
Land at Higham Road, East Barton-le-Clay, Bedfordshire is an important development forming a new settlement edge. Through the delivery of a range of houses, flat sizes and tenures, the proposals will create a diverse community through all phases of the development.
This will provide social, economic and environmental gains for Barton-le-Clay and beyond. The proposals will deliver high-quality homes, with a sensitive design approach. Attractive landscaping, a network of safe, easy and direct pedestrian and cycle links, and high-quality public open spaces will be included.
The proposed development looks to bring 500 new homes ranging from 1 bedroom apartments to 5 bedroom family homes. 30% of homes will be designated for affordable housing. A care facility and a new lower/primary school complete the proposal.
The online public consultation on this development has now ended, however you can still provide any feedback or thoughts via email to: [email protected]
About the development
Development Map
Masterplan
The Concept Master Plan has been led by the opportunities and constraints of the site. This incorporates green and blue infrastructure, with perimeter green corridors, incorporating existing boundary hedges and trees, new tree lines, parkland and public open space. The design concept aims to create a high-quality settlement edge, development frontage and gateway to Barton le-Clay. The masterplan also incorporates a centrally located primary/lower school and a care facility which are sensitively integrated into the residential development.
The site has outline planning permission with all matters reserved accept access for up to 500 homes, a 2.1ha site for a lower/primary school, a 60 unit extra care facility (Use Class C2) and the provision of public open space with associated infrastructure and earthworks.
A pre-application public consultation was carried out ahead of the outline planning submission with officers at Central Bedfordshire Council, District and County Councillors, Barton le-Clay Parish Council and the local community. Discussions with key stakeholders were had, a consultation webpage and newsletters were produced and a public exhibition was held. The feedback received resulted in changes to the proposals including alterations to the site access, an extension to the site boundary to allow for upgrades to the existing public footpath link, enhanced public open space to integrate children’s play and sustainable drainage, along with BMX trails, scooter tracks and allotments.
The proposed site lies in on the eastern edge of Barton le Clay, bound by Higham Road to the north and fields to the south. The site lies within the jurisdiction of Central Bedfordshire Council.
The site was identified as a suitable and sustainable location for new development and was allocated for residential development in the adopted (2022) Central Bedfordshire Local Plan. It extends to circa 63 acres and is currently used for agricultural purposes with crop rotation.
What's proposed? What's proposed?
The 500 homes will include 30% affordable homes and a range of housing types and sizes, including 1 bedroom apartments, 5 bedroom family homes, bungalows and wheelchair accessible homes.
A central avenue will run through the development to aid legibility through the creation of a busier urban core. Whilst lightly trafficked lower density edges will provide safe, family orientated spaces, which promote walking, cycling and social interaction. Through the creation of sensitively designed homes and distinctive spaces, the development will make a significant contribution to the area’s character.
Future reserved matters applications will be made to agree the detail of the primary school and care facility.
The development will provide a range of economic benefits to both new and existing residents through the construction process, an increased local population, which will support local amenities, groups and the local community and the provision of a new primary/lower school as part of the development, which will increase jobs and bring more people into the area.
Green space
A large area of public open space will be located across the north-eastern section of the site. This area will provide a high quality, naturalistic and multi-functional open space, including play provision, informal recreation, allotments and informal orchard planting. This area will also incorporate extensive areas of wildflower planting, providing a valuable wildlife resource. Within the development will be greens and squares, providing well defined landscaped public open spaces designed to be sensitive to their setting.
Amenities & facilities
A combination of formal and informal play will be provided, along with informal recreation. This includes three different types of play provision and a multi-use games area, alongside bike and scooter tracks and allotments. The development will also provide a primary/lower school within the centre of the development as well as a care facility.
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Attenuation storage will be integrated into soft landscaping, provided through a series of basins in the proposed POS (public open space) to the north-east of the site. The design and layout of which help to create an interesting landscape and land features. Sustainable urban drainage features, including swales will be incorporated on the edges of the development and along the main avenue road.
The ecological sensitives of the site have influenced the design of the proposals, with existing hedgerows, woodland and mature trees along the eastern and southern boundaries retained and enhanced. The proposals will also incorporate mitigation to avoid or reduce potential adverse ecological effects, embedded into the landscape strategy and incorporated at construction stage and within the long-term management measures.
There are no known heritage assets within the site. Heritage assessments undertaken to support the outline submission demonstrate that the development will not be harmful to the nearby Barton le-Clay Conservation Area or the setting and special importance of Grade I and Grade II Listed buildings within the surrounding area.
Trial trench evaluation carried out in 2019 identified numerous archaeological features of Iron Age and Roman date in the north-western part of the site. Central Bedfordshire Council’s Archaeology Team consider that any effects on the buried archaeology can be mitigated through methods such as recordings ahead of construction. Further discussion will be held with Central Bedfordshire’s archaeologists to agree appropriate mitigation.
The site is predominantly agricultural land with mature trees and hedgerows to the site boundaries and a woodland habitat to the centre of the eastern boundary.
The central avenue leading from a new access and roundabout on Higham Road has been designed with the opportunity of bringing existing bus routes into the site. The layout prioritises movement on foot and bicycle, with peripheral circular green routes, a new shared footway/cycleway to the south of Higham Road and an enhanced public right of way link through to Manor Road.
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