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The 600 residents of Tempsford, a small village within Bedfordshire, face an anxious wait to learn whether the Government will push ahead with plans to build thousands of homes on their doorstep.

With the Labour Party setting a target of 1,500,000 homes over this Parliament, it was going to require something drastic to get anywhere near these figures. In September, it was announced that the Government is to push ahead and select a number of new towns from a shortlist of 12 locations. Much to the dismay of the Tempsford residents, they are not only on this list but are identified as a priority, along with Leeds and Crew Hill.

Tempsford is set to change dramatically over the next decade. Sitting within the heart of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, this is an area the Government sees as a growth corridor with billions being spent on improving the economic, social and environmental future of the area. There are already significant infrastructure changes underway with improvements to the road network around the Black Cat roundabout and Caxton Gibbet roundabout. In addition to this, the East West Rail is proposed to connect East Anglia to Oxford, and as part of these plans, Tempsford is earmarked as having a new station which the Government will now look to bring forward. Finally, there’s the small matter of Universal Studios announcing it’s coming to Bedford, with Tempsford only a short drive away. In addition to the Government’s major proposal for a new town at Tempsford, Urban & Civic PLC, who successfully promoted Alconbury Weald, a former airfield, is promoting the old Tempsford Airfield. They have options to acquire over 2,000 acres of land in the area, which would be in some of the initial phases, and plan to bring forward thousands of homes and a new science and technology/ business park. In addition to this, the development will likely deliver other services and amenities such as shops, cafés, community, leisure and education facilities.

With there being two sides to every story, it’s fair to say this latest news has split opinion. The Government’s New Towns Taskforce latest report in September describes the Tempsford proposal as “a unique opportunity with potential to provide over 40,000 homes in time in a standalone greenfield settlement at the intersection of the East Coast Main Line and East West Rail, in the heart of the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor.” Where the Government sees this as a potential opportunity, the locals of Tempsford are pleading with the Government to listen to the people and their concerns before making their final decision.

Bedfordshire is not the only area impacted by the drive for housing, with Heyford Park, a former RAF base near Bicester, earmarked to deliver more than 13,000 dwellings. In addition to this, Milton Keynes (MK), which was first designated as a new town in 1967, has been identified as a location to deliver more homes in both the centre and as part of large extensions on the edge of the city. As part of the MK plans, there will be a focus on delivering a new rapid mass transport system, correcting the car dependency designed into the original new town and potentially providing a new junction onto the M1 motorway.

What is for certain is that the landscape of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire is going to change over the next decade.

Should you have land or property in the area and wish to discuss how the above proposals might impact you, please do not hesitate to contact me. Whether it be a development, planning, agricultural or commercial query, we are best placed to provide you with professional expertise.

Please contact me to discuss further.