Policy information sourced from the Central Befordshire Local Plan

SA2: Marston Vale New Villages

The land for Marston Vale New Villages, as identified in the Policies Map, is allocated for a mixed-use development comprising of approximately 5,000 dwellings and approximately 30 hectares of employment land. The employment land is allocated for new non-strategic E(g) and B2 uses, intended specifically for employment relating to research and development, office, services and tourism to contribute towards meeting local employment needs.

Development proposals will be permitted where the principles set out below are met. These principles will be defined in more detail through the preparation of a Development Brief which will include a concept plan and an indicative phasing plan. Planning permission will only be granted for development following the Council’s endorsement of this Development Brief. A site wide Design Code(s) will also be required, followed by area specific Design Codes for each phase, to be prepared by the developer and approved by the Council.

In order to ensure the development will be supported by the local and strategic infrastructure needed to ensure sustainable development, the Council will refuse any piecemeal planning permission that would undermine the Council’s ability to deliver such infrastructure.

The principles of the development are:

  1. The development will form a series of new villages appropriately separated and screened from neighbouring settlements by green and blue infrastructure. The villages will provide a mix of uses necessary to achieve a sustainable and vibrant network of communities. Development will include:
    • Approximately 5,000 homes across a series of new villages with an appropriate balance and mix of residential accommodation to meet identified needs. This mix shall include, subject to viability, a policy compliant mix of affordable housing, self/custom build plots and a mix of homes to meet all identified needs for older people;
    • Approximately 30 hectares of employment land, to satisfy identified needs for Research and Development, office, services and tourism. This employment should be well-integrated with the villages, both in terms of design and pedestrian and cycle access;
    • Provision of a suitable parcel of serviced land and commensurate financial contribution towards the delivery of a primary healthcare facility to be delivered on site and the provision of a commensurate financial contribution towards the delivery of health and social care services to meet the healthcare needs of the development;
    • Provision of new community facilities in accordance with Policy HQ3, a mix of retail, a community library space and at least one drinking establishment to serve the existing and new community’s everyday needs;
    • Provision of new educational facilities, comprising: day nurseries, early years, primary school, secondary school and sixth form to meet the identified needs of the development or equivalent facilities to meet the educational and childcare needs arising from the development; and
    • Provision of leisure facilities, including:
      1. indoor sport and leisure facilities, in accordance with Policy HQ3; and
      2. outdoor sport, leisure and open space, in accordance with Policy EE13, including pavilions and allotments.
  2. The development shall provide dedicated and safe pedestrian and cycle links between the new and existing villages, connecting new local centres, employment opportunities, schools, shops, public transport nodes and community facilities with existing pedestrian and cycle networks in the wider Marston Vale;
  3. The development shall maximise opportunities to create Green Infrastructure corridors. The allocation is expected to deliver a multifunctional Green Corridor through the entire length of the site to form the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Park. The development will deliver a water-filled and navigable link to facilitate a waterway connection between Brogborough and Stewartby Lakes. The development shall deliver a cycleway within the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Park Green Corridor. This will form part of a cycleway connection between Stewartby Lake and Ridgmont Railway Station;
  4. The development shall provide appropriate mitigation, compensation and/or enhancement of key features of biodiversity including but not limited to, identified protected species and priority habitats. Key ecological features should be protected, well buffered and connected with additional habitat creation and linkages. Potential detrimental impacts on wet habitats valuable for Great Crested Newts or other flora and fauna must be avoided through careful zoning of uses or, where it is ecologically acceptable, habitats may be compensated through the creation of new ponds and wetland features;
  5. The development shall provide appropriate landscape measures to create a sense of place, provide a net gain for biodiversity and include mitigation to address the potential impact of development on the wider landscape. The site is within the Forest of Marston Vale, and therefore any development must comply with Policy EE9;
  6. The site is in an area with a rich and varied historic environment. Parts of the site are within the setting of designated heritage assets, including:
    • The medieval village and moated sites at Thrupp End, Lidlington (Scheduled Monument);
    • Moat Farm moated enclosure and associated settlement earthworks, Marston Moreteyne (Scheduled Monument);
    • The medieval Ringwork at the Round House, Brogborough Park Farm (Scheduled Monument);
    • The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Marston Moreteyne (Grade I listed building);
    • The Tower belonging to the Church of St Mary, Marston Moreteyne (Grade I listed building);
    • Moat Farmhouse, Marston Moreteyne (Grade II* listed building);
    • Thrupp End Farmhouse, Lidlington (Grade II listed building);
    • The Round House, Brogborough Park Farm (Grade II listed building)
      The site is also known to contain non-designated heritage assets with archaeological interest.
  7. Any future development at this site must ensure it accords with the Historic Environment policies of this Plan (HE1, HE2 and HE3) and the requirements of the NPPF. Any future development proposals will take into account a Heritage Impact Assessment for the site or relevant phase, agreed between the developer and the Council, in consultation with Historic England. Indicative mitigation measures will be identified within the Development Brief, specific mitigation measures will be identified through the Design Coding process. Any landscaping schemes proposed must also seek to safeguard existing tree lines/hedgerows. Where preservation in situ of archaeological remains within areas of open space is proposed, any landscaping schemes will be designed to ensure that there is no damage to the heritage assets with archaeological interest;
  8. The development shall be designed to ensure that uses and developments within the site that are vulnerable to flood risk are located outside of areas of flood zones 2 and 3 and areas at high risk of surface water flooding. Flood capacity shall be retained on site;
  9. The development will, through the creation of the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Park, provide a link for moving water between Brogborough and Stewartby Lakes contributing, where possible, to water management objectives at the catchment scale;
  10. Subject to the findings of the site-specific flood risk assessment the development shall deliver strategic measures to reduce flood risk including the use of sustainable drainage methods (SUDS) in line with Policy CC5. SUDS will be designed as part of the green infrastructure network, enhancing existing watercourses and drainage features, and integrating them with the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Park where appropriate. Safe access and egress shall be provided taking account of the flood risk at the site;
  11. The development shall integrate, connect to and improve alignments of existing public Rights of Way within and adjoining the site to provide routes within the development to the wider countryside and neighbouring settlements. In addition to these routes, the development will enable cycle and pedestrian connections to be made between Stewartby Lake and Ridgmont Railway Station which shall include appropriately designed crossings over the waterway;
  12. The development will provide supporting transport infrastructure to mitigate the impact of traffic associated with the development, including a deliverable scheme of improvements at J13 of the M1 and improvements to the strategic and the local highway network as necessary, to mitigate the impacts of development. The development shall deliver viable and efficient public transport routes and segregated cycling routes through the development that enable links with key destinations including the nominated East West Rail stopping station and employment areas;
  13. The development shall provide commensurate contributions towards the provision of appropriate off-site infrastructure improvements including towards public transport interchange facilities relating to the enhancement of the nominated stopping station for East West Rail;
  14. Foul drainage from the development shall be connected to the mains sewerage network. The development shall demonstrate that there is adequate capacity in water recycling centre (sewage treatment works) and the foul sewerage network to serve the proposed development and that it will not have an adverse impact on surface or ground water in terms of quality and quantity. Any application for planning permission shall detail any infrastructure upgrades where required and any necessary phasing arrangements as agreed by the relevant Water and Sewerage Company;
  15. The development will incorporate measures to adapt to climate change, minimise energy use and include renewable energy technologies in accordance with policies CC1, CC2, CC3 and CC5, and any other relevant policies in the Plan;
  16. The development shall be accompanied by a Mineral Resource Assessment in accordance with Policy MPS11 of the Minerals and Waste Local Plan (January 2014); and
  17. The development will be required to respond appropriately to its location within the Health and Safety Executive Major Accident Hazard Pipelines Consultation Zone and identify mitigation measures where necessary.

For more information, please visit the Central Befordshire Local Plan