Central Bedfordshire Design Guide SPD

Densities:
Development approval in Green Belt has introduced higher densities in sensitive areas (ironic that to justify building in GB, the allocation has to significantly help to meet housing targets, so numbers are high). The problem is compounded by the need to have the softer green edge abutting the remaining GB. The result is that designs then put the densest housing, often the affordable or social rent terraces, backing directly on to the existing residents. They therefore get the very worst of the impact from this development.

Infills and Backland Development:
Infill hasn't worked well for Toddington. We have lost a lot of informal parking spaces which have exacerbated parking pressure in the village centre.
Also seen swept path analysis has not taken account of where people traditionally park in the evenings - so that egress from new estates, especially for service vehicles, has become challenging and resulted in requests for double yellow lines in areas which have for a long time been allocated, without issues, for resident parking.
Infill is very contentious, it increases density, overlooking issues and privacy and puts more parking pressure on surrounding roads.

Building Height:
I am concerned about the potential for 3 storey becoming the norm in traditional villages. In Toddington Ward, we have had several applications where 3 storey housing has been in the designs. It doesn't help that one application was permitted (albeit via revisions following initial approval) along the back of the railway line in Harlington. This has subsequently been referenced as precedent but the setting was completely different to the site being considered. So far, we have managed to reduce heights reduced to 2.5 storey maxi but this could be a slippery slope, completely changing the character of rural villages.

Window Design:
Should there be reference to triple glazing Ref: noise/energy implications?

Parking Courts:
As discussed at Suscoms, there shouldn't be resistance to these. There are great design examples where these create a great sense of place and car-free communal areas. Marmalade Lane is a great example.

Street Trees:
Defaecation by perching birds will be a problem for cars parked below their canopies. If the trees contain red/blue berries that they forage on, this could exacerbate any damage to vehicles. Types of tree, watering requirements and any characteristics regarding extent or nature of root spread, will also be key (e.g. willow/cherry can be problematic).

Road Widths:
I have commented in Chapter 5 about swept path analysis for new estates which don't always take account of existing residents' street parking. An example is where terraced homes provide parking at the front of the properties but this road width is not marked out and frequently not excluded from swept path measurements at a junction being proposed for a new estate road. Subsequently, larger vehicles trying to to access the new estate (e.g. bin lorries) do not have adequate turning capacity at these junctions, when there are parked cars there. This causes conflict when the new residents ask for DYL outside the terraces but the existing residents have nowhere else to park and have been parking there for decades.

Street Lighting:
Again brought up at Suscoms. LED temperature and intensities need to be controllable (preferably remotely). These lights can be very (too) bright in residential areas and I have had to request that filters be added in a number of instances, as they can affect bedrooms and impair residents' sleep quality.

Community Safety Considerations - Lighting:
As picked up in the movement section of this consultation, there needs to be sensitivity about where LEDs are placed and how they may affect nearby properties. Good lighting is essential for safety but lamp heights, along with lighting intensities and temperatures should not result in nuisance or be out of character with the surroundings. It would be useful if both temperature and intensity could be controlled remotely in order to be able to respond to local residents when they raise issues. It is very resource hungry to have to fit filters on individual lamps.