In May 2023, the East West Rail Company published a route update which announced that they would create a new station at Tempsford. In July 2024, the think tank UKDayOne published a report suggesting that in order to meet the Labour government's target of delivering 1.5million new homes in the next five years through new towns, Britain's next 'new town' of 250,000-350,000 people should be created at Tempsford, given the plans for a new station there. In January 2025, the Chancellor's growth statement confirmed backing for East West Rail and announced that the building of the East Coast Mainline Station at Tempsford would be expedited by 3-5 years.
In September 2025, after months of speculation, the Government confirmed that a new town at Tempsford will be built and it will be one of the largest of the twelve proposed. The New Towns Commission stated that Tempsford has the “potential to provide over 40,000 homes in a standalone greenfield settlement”.
This will represent a massive change in the way of life for people not only in Tempsford, but also in neighbouring villages like Everton and the nearby towns of Sandy and even Potton. There are still many unknowns and residents quite rightly will have many questions so following the announcement, Richard wrote to the Housing Minister, Steve Reed, inviting him to attend a public meeting to outline the Government’s plans and address residents’ questions.
The Commission’s report makes mention of the requirement for “significant upfront infrastructure investment” and of “an identified need for supporting health infrastructure”. There are, however, few details at what this will mean.
Key points Richard will make are that services such as GPs and school places are already stretched - we need facilities built and professionals committed BEFORE people arrive.
The proposed new town will almost certainly require significant improvements to the A1, so Richard is in touch with National Highways to press the case for immediate inclusion in their plans of long needed funding for A1 improvements at Sandy and Biggleswade.
There are also concerns about the considerable flooding that such a development would confront. The North Bedfordshire Water Management Partnership provides a basis for creating a comprehensive plan for water resource preservation, flood risk mitigation and environmental improvement based on the impact of the new town and of Universal Studios.
Richard will also make the case that residents should not be forced to pay for national ambitions through higher council taxes, stating that it is not acceptable for national government to plan housing for thousands of new households in north and central Bedfordshire whilst keeping housing targets on local councils, particularly when the local population is already growing at two to three times the national average. Our villages and towns need some protection from excessive development.
Finally, Richard would like the rural character of Bedfordshire protected, so he will be calling together local nature conservancy, farming, ramblers, the RSPB, the CPRE and others committed to the same cause to join with him to ensure Tempsford’s character is not buried under concrete but accessible for future generations to celebrate its history and natural environment.
You can read more about Richard's updates on this below.
