Transport advice for Twinwoods Garden Village
- Client Name
- Bedfordia Developments and Marcol Industrial Investments
- Location
- Bedford, UK
Challenge
The creation of a new Garden Village at Twinwoods was considered for the emerging Bedford Borough Council Local Plan, to create a strategic new settlement north of Bedford.
The Garden Village proposals seek to provide 6,000 homes, a food store, retirement home, four primary schools, a secondary school, offices, medical centre and employment uses, while introducing dynamic mobility initiatives.
Solution
We are assisting Bedfordia Developments and Marcol Industrial Investments with a robust and persuasive case for Twinwoods’ inclusion within the emerging Bedford Borough Council’s Local Plan 2030 as a new sustainable garden village.
Highway capacity concerns were understood to be the main reason for excluding Twinwoods from the emerging Local Plan allocations and so the transport strategy was a crucial element of the case presented at the examination of the Local Plan. It focused on maximising access to mobility and minimisation of external vehicular trips.
Key transport proposals include a new state-of-the-art cycleway to Bedford, bus enhancements, potential for Park & Ride, on-site Community Concierge and Mobility Hub, and a new bypass for Milton Ernest.
Impact
The comprehensive mixture of uses creates opportunity for local living and local movement, and the wider transport proposals integrate the proposed garden village with north Bedford as well as smaller communities on the periphery of the Twinwoods site.
