Following the land being released from the greenbelt as part of Central Beds Council Local Plan in 2021, Taylor Wimpey Developers submitted an application for outline planning, to build up to 500 new homes, a 2.1ha lower/primary school, a 60-bed extra care facility and the provision of public open space with associated infrastructure (CB/21/2409/OUT). Central Beds Council agreed the planning in July 2022 and have since been formalising the proposal, including what funding the developers must invest in the area to mitigate the impact of the new development on the Village infrastructure and services.
Outline planning permission was formally granted for this development by Central Beds Council on the 20th December 2024, together with a Section 106 agreement which the Parish Council had vehemently opposed as not fully meeting the needs of the community.
The current consultation by the developers is for their reserved matters planning application, specifically looking at their detailed proposals for the range and type of new homes and layout of the site. The basic infrastructure was agreed as part of the outline planning granted in December.
Any comments residents make should be taken into account on their final application for reserved matters planning permission in the coming months. Residents should consider what they like and don’t like about the proposed layout, what type of houses they want, e.g. starter homes, family homes, smaller homes for downsizing, bungalows and affordable housing. Also, the design of the housing, including whether 3 storey homes are appropriate, etc.
The Barton-le-Clay Draft Neighbourhood Plan, which was consulted on last Summer and is currently being updated before moving to the next phase and a formal referendum, includes a Design Guide and Housing Needs Analysis based on feedback from local residents. These should be reflected in the housing design for any new development and can be accessed here.
The following link can be used to view Taylor Wimpey’s plans and complete their online survey, which must be done by Monday 3rd February 2025.
https://www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/new-homes/barton-le-clay/land-at-higham-road
