City Science was appointed by Bedford Borough Council to produce a Strategic Placemaking Framework (SPF) for an area located to the south of Bedford, working in partnership with LDA Design.
Overview
Building on our success delivering of the award-winning Net Zero Transport Research for the RTPI, this SPF will focus on how planned development of 7,000 new homes and new employment land in the South of Bedford area can be delivered in a way that is sustainable and aligns with Bedford’s net zero ambitions.
Scope
Bedford Borough Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, but currently lacks a set year for achieving net zero and has no existing previous technical work on decarbonisation pathways. The new Emerging Bedford Local Plan allocates approx. 7,050 new homes and 70 ha of development to the South of Bedford, and requires a Strategic Place Making Framework to guide future development.
The overarching aim of this SPF is to ensure that future developments deliver:
- Low carbon and environmentally resilient outcomes
- Strategic and active travel infrastructure (e.g. shuttle bus service, links to stations, Green Wheel)
- Healthy walking neighbourhoods
- Sustainable energy (e.g. district heat network potential from Rookery South ERF)
City Science Response
We provide a multidisciplinary role in the team to support the SPF, covering:
- Decarbonisation: Undertaking a comprehensive baseline review of current emissions in the area and developing potential future reduction pathways.
- Energy: Developing a long-term strategy for low carbon energy covering heating and renewable energy generation.
- Transport, Movement & Mobility: Developing a sustainable transport strategy for the area.
Outcomes
Our three topic papers and technical specialists, supported LDA Design’s shaping, development and delivery of the South of Bedford SDF.
Figure 1: Walking isochrone for South of Bedford