Bedford Town Centre Plan - Sustainable or not?

Click the link for the details: http://www.bedford.gov.uk/business/projects__infrastructure/regeneration_projects.aspx

Please respond and if you can agree, please support our submission calls:

11 October 2017

Mr Adrian Piper

Head of Property Services

Bedford Borough Council

Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street,

Bedford, MK42 9AP

Dear Mr Piper,

In addition to what my colleague Mr Simon Barber has said, may I reiterate that my concerns are as follows:

1. Bedford Midland Station - is it going to be moved to the old site at the top of Midland Road with an emphasis away from an urban Park and Ride facility to one aimed at the town centre (visible to and from) and with walking, cycling and better bus links being a priority of design and stations north of Bedford like one at Oakley being more the provision for out of town audiences who wish to drive more-than 3 miles from home to a local railway station? That cordon one would think is Olney-Rushden-Bolnhurst and all in between including the new emergent Twinwoods estate/new villages to the Bedford urban cordon which is now built up to the edge of Clapham?

Unless this aspect is framed now, the continuation of excess traffic, congestion and pollution will accrue and that is bad for the local communities near the railway station and arteries to and from (Bromham Road/Shakespeare Road). We want:

a. straightening of tracks from Danfoss to north of Bedford Midland as a contiunuum

b. adequate arches in bridge design to cater for it

c. one-way west over Ford End Road Bridge and Hurst Grove to be made one-way to A428 Bromham Road exit. That would make crossing outside the main post office sorting centre easier and less hazardous. Bromham Road, since the new bypass opened has loads more free capacity whereas Prebend Street is always congested during day light hours both ways. 

2. The design of track lay out between Danfoss/1984 St John's, Midland Station and north of A428 Bromham Road Bridge (due to be replaced as a phase 2 following Ford End Road Bridge replacement for OHL north of Bedford). This is an opportunity to straighten tracks between St John's 1984 Halt/Danfoss and north of A428 Bromham Road Bridge via Bedford Midland allowing for East and West Rail passenger services to interchange at Bedford Midland (rather than bypass it). By straightening the tracks and re-modelling of the platforms and track layout (more capacity) you cater for more trains and get the fundamentals of interchange built into the station - built in the late 70's when closures had occurred, reopenings dismissed and less trains requiring baying was the order of the design then, needs some reversal now. Does the scope of your plan and the arch-way clearances and provision of Ford End Road Bridge cater for such re-configuration? Have any drawings been made and would it be possible for me to see the design plan please?

3. I share my colleagues concern that the East-West Rail Central Section (from the East) must come in via St John's and link with Bedford Midland as per Western Section (Oxford-Bedford) is envisaged to do. Borough should have been more vociferous in opposing the Wixams diversion idea and bypassing Bedford mooted in their recent Plan over the Summer of 2017. 

For that reason the St John Station (old) site needs to be retained as an open space - maybe an urban green space for recreation - until the railway comes. I therefore object to putting houses on that site for these reasons, putting the bigger picture of Bedford's strategic needs first (vital infrastructure).

4. Could the former loco shed, west of Midland Main Line/Ford End Road, lands not be made into a parking area and 2nd booking hall? Ford End Road and Hurst Grove should be made one-way to direct traffic to exit Queen's Park via A428 Bromham Road except for walking/cycling and bus options entering the town. Since the A6-A428 Bypass link road was opened I have noticed Bromham Road has more spare road capacity whereas Midland Road/Ford End Road roundabout is congested most day light hours. If the Ford End Road  through Great Denham was made one-way out to the Bypass as well, then a circular movement of traffic could be created and less conflict on on-coming cars at the mini roundabout on Coopers Corner/Midland Road would be lessened. One idea which has been mooted, if the 2nd booking hall, entrance/exit and parking area (including a bus turn around loop (see Maddingley P&R for an example) was for a link one-way single carriageway road off Dallas Road Kempston new under pass under Kempston Road Bridge (which needs an update anyway?) new single carriageway bridge over the River Great Ouse to allow access from Kempston to the station entrance and parking and also to Bromham Road via a one-way Hurst Grove. This would then allow the Prebend Street to be made one-way except for buses, cycles and pedestrians improving the ambiance and lessening the unacceptable intrusion of congestion and exhaust constant noise and emissions during day light hours in a poor, run down residential area - can't be good for public health and the more open terrain of a flat plain aforementioned option would allow prevailing winds to blow the exhaust away.

5. Bus routes should, coming from the south, turn from River Street into Midland Road to Ashburnham Road to Railway Station (or new site) onwards via Bromham Road and Hassett Street to the Bus Station and out on their normal courses. Likewise No. 10 could extend to serve the Market Square/Wilkos if a stop is allowed for it to drop off and pick up, loop via St Paul's Square, Horn Lane and loop via the station to turn left into Union Street for it's normal route. Likewise savings could be made if No. 7 at Putnoe went on to loop + new stop adjacent to the Spinney) via Elliott Crescent, over the roundabout (new stop) and along Putnoe Street to the Bluebell Pub and left onwards on it's normal route, saving returning via Woodside and Brecon Way, they should get on going out and back via the new route. Uno Buses could be directed to go via Prebend Street (new stops by the bridge) and loop round via the station. Bus Station needs cleaning - we have a bin for X5 Cambridge services but not X5 Oxford, front shelters hand rails have been coming off, shelters not swept, mopped or disinfected since erected. The loss of the Travel and Tourist Centre - Gatewaying for Bedford (credibility) needs restoring earliest opportunity - could it be staffed by volunteers from Universities (Beds and Cranfield for example) in exchange for a bus pass offering free travel on the days they volunteer? The former Gateway Building Society Building on the corner of Church Arcade/Harpur Street could be a reasonable place to consider locating such, halfway between bus station and High Street, revitalise arcade corridors and pull in from Riverside to rest of the town footfall and possible extra spend?

6. I am concerned at the move to commercialise the town central area, whereas it should be a balance of shopping, visiting, leisure, recreation, arts, entertainment and a safe space just to be. There's nothing for teenagers to do and maybe now it is finished, could a skateboard facility be placed somewhere in St Mary's Gardens for young people to safely play, let off steam and be within reach of food, drink, toilets and services? See Daventry for a larger facility, but a smaller version could be considered surely paid out of a £1 extra on parking? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-23309061 I believe that better bus and rail links for Bedford which bring bulk of people into town centres minus the traffic and land use conflicts is the environmentally sustainable way forward otherwise the charm is eroded, the flint face of commercialism bites and the atmosphere is affected for those of us with feet on the ground i.e not car-legged or helicopter views. Mill Street needs to be made one-way towards Debenhams from the East, pavement on north side widened, as there's a huge flow of people and lack of space with vehicles parking and informing hazards for pedestrians in a confined space + we now have umpteen mobility scooters needing more pavement space = a clash and needs a remedy including more zone boys to clamp down on parking on kerbside and pavements - Cardington Road on Saturdays does occur near the Duck Mill Turning. A plan with more cars in mind will only exacerbate the clash between people and congestion, saving our heritage and destruction for wider roads, cleaner air versus air pollution, and tranquility of experience or grimy sweatshop impressions underscoring inequalities rubbing shoulders in the same space driving the well off to evermore out of town shopping (boot full) and the poorer elements who cannot drive, shopping in the town (bag fulls) and the mix and match making a mess of themes, styles, choices and the lure for less smoking-in-your-face as is the current town centre experience, with drunks, homeless and urinating on street corners as toilets are clawed back because of the cuts. What will your plan do to address this beyond pricing and policing out undesirables?

7. I find it peculiar that the Borough can handle multiple developments and roads but only one rail reopening or scheme per time. We need to be making common cause with neighbouring places and working together to inform the essential rail based infrastructure to enable non London centric commutes, searches for work, exchanges and footfall and spend minus the cars and traffic and getting more freight back on rails (cannot if no reopenings) and Bedford and Northampton are best suited to be re-railed as they share many issues and problems including ailing town centres and out of town competition and a need to be restored to a sustainable transport underpinning - rail link restoration. 

If you feel a meeting would be in order please let me know, otherwise I hope these comments can be considered in the round of what your plan seeks to achieve for Bedford's sake. Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Pill

ERTA Chairman and local resident.

Also see: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds/public-drop-in-ahead-of-road-bridge-reconstruction/