Ravensden Park to Woodlands Park connections

The planning agreement for the new Ravensden Park housing development included financial payments for a number of specific purposes. These payments are known as Section 106 contributions and include:

• £433,000 for a surfaced and lit path through Freemen’s Common to create a link to Woodlands Park southern bridge and to the B660.
• £778,000 for the footpaths and cycle paths, bridges over a brook and gates in existing railing between Ravensden Park and Woodlands Park.
• £99,300 for 4 CCTV cameras between Ravensden Park and Egremont Mews in Woodlands Park.
• £63,000 for speed cameras on the B660 road at Cleat Hill and £5,000 for a Traffic Regulation Order to impose a speed restriction along the B660.

The existing footbridge across Renhold Brook would be replaced by a wider bridge, suitable for pedestrians, cycles and grounds maintenance vehicles only, connecting to a path to Crispin Drive. (See red circle with ‘1’ on the map).

Graze Hill Development Concept (refer to points 1, 2 and 3)

The Design and Access Statement shows a new bridge near the southern end of the new development, from which there would be connections to both the existing perimeter tarmac bridleway that leads to Ashmead Road but also to the bridleway across Freeman’s Common, leading to Kimbolton Road (red circle with ‘2’ on the map). The bridleway would be surfaced and lit. The Design Statement also shows a possible footpath connection into Saltcote Way  (red circle with ‘3’ on the map)  .

Brickhill Parish Council has been speaking with Bedford Borough Council about this for over 18 months. Originally the Parish was enquiring if some additional funds could be applied for, to add to the Section 106 funds, but that was unsuccessful. An additional topic raised by the Parish Council is the state of the metal fences around Woodlands Park, many of which have been bent or had bolts deliberately removed to enable access to the park. Some of these seem possible safety hazards. The parish is asking what the Borough’s policy is for the maintenance of the fences, which were intended to ‘design out crime’.

The Borough received the funds from the developers late last year. Brickhill Parish Council has urged the Borough to get the work underway and has asked to be involved with any design of works in Woodlands Park and to be consulted with about the path across Freemen’s Common (as that is in Ravensden Parish). The Borough has promised to keep both Brickhill and Ravensden Parish Councils informed of progress.

Chair of Brickhill Parish Council, Cllr Mark Fitzpatrick says: “The funds provided by the developer to the Borough should allow some useful improvements, which will benefit Brickhill residents as well as those in the new Ravensden Park estate. I hope that work can get started as soon as possible, to allow those benefits to be realised”.

Key documents which give more background and details can be seen on the Borough Council’s Planning Portal. In particular look at the Outline Planning Application, edrms.bedford.gov.uk/SearchResults.aspx?appNumber=19/00593/MAO

The key part of the Design and Access Statement showing connections is here: 19 00593 MAO DAS_Part 3 of 4..pdf

The original Section 106 agreement is here:   19 00593 MAO S106 Agreement.pdf

An updated Section 106 agreement (which allowed payments to be delayed) is here:  19 00593 MAO S106 Variation.pdf