Three years ago, the East West Rail Company published a route update which included the introduction of a new Railway Station at Tempsford. A year later, in July 2024, think tank UKDayOne then 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, Britain's next 'new town' should be created at Tempsford. This was followed by the Chancellor's growth statement last January which announced the Government's plan to expedite the building of a new East Coast Mainline Railway Station at Tempsford.
Last September, after months of speculation, the Government’s New Towns Taskforce shortlisted Tempsford as one of 12 potential sites for a new town. The Taskforce’s report also identified Tempsford as one of the “most promising” sites at this stage and indicated a minimum scale of 40,000 homes.
Since the announcement, Richard has been working to ensure that residents’ views are represented. He wrote to the Housing Minister, Steve Reed, inviting him to a public meeting once a proposal is confirmed, and at the end of last year, he met with officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to seek clarity on the process and timescales. Officials have advised that they are still in the investigative stage and intend to coordinate this work with other major infrastructure projects in the region.
At present, no final decisions have been taken about Tempsford’s status, its boundaries, the number of homes, or the delivery vehicle that might be used to develop it, should the project be given the go ahead. These details will not be confirmed until the Strategic Environmental Assessment is completed, and formal proposals are published by the Government in the spring.
Should this project be confirmed, it will represent a huge change in the way of life for residents 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.
The report makes mention of the requirement for “significant upfront infrastructure investment” and “an identified need for supporting health infrastructure”. There are, however, few details ats to 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 settlement will almost certainly require significant improvements to the A1 and Richard has been in touch with National Highways to press the case for inclusion of this proposal in their plans for funding A1 improvements at Sandy and Biggleswade.
There are also concerns about flooding that such a development could confront. Richard met with Anglian Water in October to discuss the impacts of a potential New Town at Tempsford. The North Bedfordshire Water Management Partnership also 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 and 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 accessible for future generations to celebrate its history and natural environment.
You can read more about Richard's work on this below.
