Leighton Linslade councillor calls for cycle routes and pavements to link new housing estates to town centres

Residents and councillors have warned Central Bedfordshire Council about delays in getting infrastructure to support new housing developments, especially in Leighton Buzzard and Houghton Regis.

The urgency of providing better routes for cyclists and pedestrians was raised during a CBC sustainable communities overview and scrutiny committee meeting under requested items and during the public session.

Liberal Democrat Leighton Linslade South councillor Emma Holland-Lindsay and non-aligned Independent Houghton Regis East councillor Pat Hamill both addressed concerns about their respective towns.

Councillor Holland-Lindsay asked for the issue to be analysed in depth, as promised walking and cycle routes across the town are facing significant delays in delivery.

She highlighted challenges residents face, including having to walk on unsafe roads because of a lack of a complete footpath on Stanbridge Road and the delay in completion of a link between the new estates and Meadow Way.

There are wider issues including the need for walking and cycle routes to be considered at an earlier stage when development is planned, and to be delivered at the same time as new housing and roads, she explained.

Liberal Democrat Leighton Linslade North councillor David Bligh shared the experiences of local residents waiting years for delivery of a long-promised footpath between Seddon Gardens and Nelson Road, which would prevent a two-mile walk for them.

He mentioned the need for safer routes to Vandyke School for children and families, as well as traffic enforcement measures waiting to be delivered on Heath Road to prevent the east side of it being used as a car park during peak times.

Councillor Hamill referred to Houghton Regis being surrounded now by major roads, but the old part of the town “isn’t prepared for cycleways or even walking”, saying: “The new developments haven’t delivered the infrastructure, which should have come in very early on.

“We’ve heard many times about Bedford Road in Houghton Regis needing a footpath in place.”

In the public session, Chris Stevenson, of Leighton Buzz Cycles sustainable transport campaign group, said: “The main roads from some of the new housing estates are without pavements in places, a problem we predicted before they were built.

“Of the recommendations included in the Leighton-Linslade local cycling and walking infrastructure plan, to this day none have been implemented despite money being available. One link has been partially made so far.”

Independent Aspley and Woburn councillor John Baker acknowledged Buzz Cycles has raised the profile of cycling in Leighton Buzzard and “the mistakes the council has made over a long period of time in not proactively prioritising cycle paths through planning applications or strategic developments”.

He added: “The current Local Plan process is a platform considering the way we can change policies and bring cycling up to more of a priority. I want to see more cycling.”

The committee called for a report to explore the work needed to ensure such routes are properly planned within developments, and to examine how to speed up their delivery.