Section 4: Environmental Issues in Biggleswade

Sites of designated landscape value: No nationally designated areas in the locality. Areas to the north and west designated as Areas of Great Landscape Value – a local plan designation.

Designated Conservation Areas: The centre of Biggleswade is protected for its historic and architectural interest. The designation covers most of the old town including High Street, Shortmead Street, Hitchin Street and part of London Road. Other villages and towns around Biggleswade have Conservation Areas (See Worksheets).

Sites of nature conservation value: No nationally designated sites close to Biggleswade. The Common, the Ivel river corridor and meadows north of the hospital (just beyond the East Biggleswade development site) are County Wildlife Sites – a County designation.

Number of Listed Buildings: One Grade I (Stratton House – The Baulk) and 52 Grade II listings have been established. Some of the Grade II listings are for more than one dwelling or building.

Scheduled Ancient Monuments: There are two scheduled ancient monuments listed in Biggleswade: a ringwork and bailey at Brookland Farm (the back meadows near the A1) and a moated site at Stratton Park.

Designated Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs): All trees within the Conservation area are protected. Other TPOs have not been identified in the Healthcheck.

Public footpaths and bridleways: A footpath (FP21) runs along the river corridor (the Kingfisher Way) and several footpaths and a bridle path run across the Commons. Bridle path BW22 and a footpath (FP23) run west from Mill Lane into the back meadows. Footpath FP46 runs south, under the A1 to Holme Green and beyond. Footpaths and bridle paths run south east to Edworth. There are footpaths east around Stratton and bridleway links north to Sandy and east to Wrestlingworth.

Public cycle paths: In town there are limited sections of designated cycle lane on London Road, Saffron Road/Hitchin Street and Chestnut Avenue. A new cycle route is planned to run north/south through the town as part of the National ‘Sustrans’ network (see Worksheets). The MBDC have developed a plan for an integrated cycle path network throughout the town which will hopefully be implemented in the next few years.

Recreation/open Space /grounds:

Recreation Centre – Eagle Farm Road (large and small sports hall, tennis courts, pitches, bar/lounge – all related to Stratton Upper School)
Saxon Pool – 25m pool and baby pool, fitness suite and studio room. Café and bar/club room
Fairfield Recreation Ground – football/cricket field and play area
Drove Road Recreation Ground – bowling green, tennis courts, putting green
Jubilee, Stratton Way, The Lakes, Kitelands Recreation Grounds – playing fields and play areas. New play equipment planned for Stratton Way.
Franklin Recreation Ground (new play equipment planned), Lincoln Crescent, Foxglove Drive, Heather Drive, Buttercup Mead, Kayser Court – formal play areas and amenity parkland
19 other informal children’s play areas (approx 1.5 hectares in all)
Biggleswade Common (300 acres/120 hectares of semi-natural common)
Other amenity land and new woodland planting at Saxon Gate – totalling just over 4.1 hectares in all
School playing fields at Stratton Upper, Holmemead Middle, Edward Peake Middle, St Andrew’s Lower, Southmead Lower, Hitchmead Special
Conservative Club – tennis courts/bowling green
John O Gaunt Golf Club, Sutton
Rugby and Squash Club, Langford Road
American Golf Driving Range – adjacent the A1

Townscape quality: Market Place has been refurbished (1998) and has good quality paving, seats, and other furniture as well as new tree planting. No other spaces in town have notable townscape elements. There is a lack of design continuity in elements such as paving, furniture and signage throughout the town (see Appendix III).

Notable buildings and landmarks: There are a number of noteworthy buildings within the town, but they are not well utilised in the overall townscape (see Worksheets). There is a significant lack of noteworthy post-war buildings. The town’s principal ‘landmark’ is possibly the Market Place itself.

Landscape character: The principal landscape assets in Biggleswade are the River Ivel and the commons but the town is presently not well integrated with them visually or physically.

The locality has a variety of attractive rural landscapes – particularly through the Greensand countryside to the west and north west.

What are the landmarks or distinctive buildings in the town? This is apparently difficult for people to answer. Franklins Mill is often mentioned – although it is away from the centre of town, and the landmark space – the Market Place. Around the Square some potential landmark buildings are ‘downgraded’ by what’s in front of them or their use (e.g. the White Hart pub, the former Town Hall, the half-timbered building known as the ‘Market House’ and George’s Hall). The memorial cross appears to be a noted landmark – although as a feature it is not unique. St Andrew’s Parish Church is a landmark at the end of Shortmead Road. The new bus station building with its clock tower is a new landmark in the town.

What are the focal points for the community? The Market Place, and particularly the weekly market on Saturdays, appears to be the most regular focal point for the community. Consultation has revealed that all sectors of the community feel that Biggleswade lacks a prominent social place (e.g. a major hall or community centre). Pubs are the most prominent socialising spaces and the church halls, the Weatherley Centre and a selection of smaller halls provide the other social venues. The swimming pool and various sports clubs provide focal points for the community, as do schools and nurseries. The annual Carnival apparently provides a central community activity – although references to this event were not common in the consultation process. The new bus station building says ‘Welcome’ to visitors – at least from a distance. However, on closer inspection the only door into the building leads to a closed corridor. The Citizens Advice Bureau is secreted away behind a locked door upstairs. The architect’s original intention has been squandered.

Is there an historic core to the town? The central town is defined by a conservation area which includes Shortmead Street, High Street, the north end of Hitchin Street and east over the railway line to London Road. However, much of the central town was destroyed by fire in the late 18^th century – so many buildings in the conservation area date from the 19^th century or early 20^th century. Historic industry and workshop accommodation has already largely disappeared from the town centre (e.g. the brewery site, works on Foundry Lane and several former engineering works). Modern shop awnings and signage do not allow a cohesive historical theme to become apparent.

Is the town centre dominated by shops? Biggleswade Town Centre is relatively compact and the principal retail area is Market Place, High Street, Hitchin Street and a section of Shortmead Street. These streets are predominantly shop front and include commercial business and restaurants as well as retail outlets. Within 400-500 metres of the Market Place are located all the principal civic offices and facilities, surgeries, the police and railway stations, churches, two lower schools and a variety of other business as well as residential areas. There are over 500 off-street parking places within this central zone. In urban design terms this creates a highly ‘walkable’ mixed-use town centre – a very desirable balance.

Are there unattractive areas in the town? Derelict sites on Bonds Lane, on Church Street (the old brewery site), along Shortmead Street (e.g. derelict garage sites and the frontage to Travis Perkins) and other post-industrial parts of the town (e.g. the Boddington Industrial Estate) give a poor image of the town. A number of individual buildings (e.g. the Town Hall, George’s Hall, the old school on Rose Lane and individual buildings on Shortmead Street) have the potential to be outstanding architectural elements in the town but are presently derelict or in a state of disrepair. Many of the post-war housing estates including the most recent, whilst providing a reasonable quality of building, lack character and/or townscape qualities. The principal gateways to the town lack ‘sense of place’ as do the principal streets and spaces. Employment areas such as the industrial parks appear to lack a co-ordinated management approach to landscape areas, signage etc. Many of the principal campuses in the town (e.g. schools, the hospital, the Lawns facilities) appear to have evolved in an ad-hoc style and need to consider retro-site planning exercises to rationalise access and orientation issues and to enhance the external environments.

The general quality of townscape and pedestrian spaces in the town: The central Market Place enhancement has utilised good quality materials with a no-fuss design which generally works well. However, there are a number of problems which have been highlighted in consultation. Notably the turning and parking areas around the bus station are tight for larger buses and best suited to smaller 15-20 seaters. Older buses have leaked oil onto new surfaces. Bus access is therefore perceived by some to detract from the overall quality of the square.

There has been extensive discussion about the one-way system on Hitchin Street and the consensus from retailers is that traffic should flow north rather than south (as it does at present). There is criticism of the design of some parking bays. Low kerbs cause practical difficulties for disabled shoppers, and some on-street parking spaces are allegedly difficult to park in. There is a general feeling that the lights on High Street cause unnecessary congestion at the roundabout with Shortmead Street.

The Market Place in its entirety is still principally a vehicular orientated space with the major pedestrian areas defined by roadways. Barriers restrict pedestrian movement and together with traffic related signage create ‘clutter’ in this, the landmark space in Biggleswade. Whereas vehicle access is important for the vitality of urban spaces, the town centre must be seen as principally a pedestrian domain and designed in this way (see Appendix III).

The Budgens/Post Office square is an important arrival area and is key to the success of the town centre as a whole. However, it is presently a poor environment – with the back end of various buildings and the derelict Bonds Lane site next door. Much could be done to improve this space and its links to other shops. With appropriate new development on the derelict site this area could help revitalise Hitchin Street and substantially strengthen the existing retail centre of the town. In this respect it should perhaps be considered as more important to the future retail success of Biggleswade than the old brewery site (see Appendix III).

In consultation many people have commented on the need for easier parking access in the town centre. However, observation during this Healthcheck process, undertaken at all times of the week, suggests that parking availability is generally adequate. Extensive additional parking at the centre of the town would be extremely difficult to integrate into a cohesive townscape and would not in itself make for a successful town centre.

General quality of buildings in the town centre: The town centre revitalisation project has helped to raise the quality of the central townscape. A variety of national chain shops and local stores present a relatively dynamic image to the centre. However, further along Hitchin Street, along Shortmead Street and at the east end of High Street, towards London Road, shop frontages suggest that business is sometimes economically borderline. Other specific buildings, as noted above, detract from the overall quality of the centre. There are presently several empty shops although it is understood that there is generally a shortage of shop frontage and some demand for shop space.

Gateways to the town: There are five notable gateways to Biggleswade. The two A1 exits at the north and south of the town are the principal road gateways. Both of them are ‘low key’ and say little about civic pride or Biggleswade’s intention to promote itself as a place to live, work or be entertained in. Travellers on the A1 are unlikely to realise that Biggleswade is a substantial town with a long history as a stopover on the route north (see Appendix III).

The secondary road gateways to the town are from Potton Road and from Dunton Lane and are also low key. Whereas these are less important roads, they should also be seen as opportunities for signposting the town and saying welcome. Proposed development will make these gateways more important in future and present the chance to implement environmental enhancement schemes.

The fifth gateway to Biggleswade is the railway station. Although the actual station building has an attractive 19^th century vernacular, the station courtyard, the platforms, the embankments either side of the track and the rail corridor itself reflect very poorly on Biggleswade. The rail access to the town is important and this gateway may be giving potential business partners, tourists or new employees their first image of the town. Environmental enhancement of this area should be seen as high priority.

Notable trees or landscape features in the town centre? The principal streets and spaces in Biggleswade have few trees. Historical photographs suggest this has always been the case, although until the last 40-50 years links to open countryside would have been much closer for town dwellers. Principal tree groups near the town centre include those around St Andrew’s Parish Church, the Conservative Club, Franklins Mill and the river corridor and around the civic amenities on Chestnut Avenue and the Lawns. New Plane trees in the Market Place will hopefully mature to become a significant townscape element in this space. There are also good quality benches and other street furniture around the square. Other significant vegetation in the town centre is almost exclusively in private gardens. Franklins Recreation Ground, adjacent the mill and river, is the most central public amenity space and fails to fulfil the important role it could play as a town park and civic landmark. Old benches and worn grass under trees in front of the library miss another opportunity to create an eye-catching amenity feature.

Are townscape or heritage initiatives underway in the town? The Town Council are presently organising a project to reinstate an historic drinking fountain and to enhance the corner of the Market Place in front of the White Hart. The former Town Centre Partnership has been disbanded but a new Community Liaison Forum is proposed to pick up where the partnership left off. It is hoped that they will begin to address townscape issues throughout Biggleswade. The Biggleswade History Society are researching their second heritage trail and it may be possible to provide some interpretive information along the route.

Summary: It is interesting to note that in consultation few residents could easily describe spaces or buildings that they felt were synonymous with the town. In this respect one could conclude that Biggleswade has a bland character and lacks spatial definition. In fact this is not really the case. The town has a classic central space and is lucky that, unlike so many smaller towns, it is not defined by one primary road corridor. It can be said that the town presently fails to capitalise on its assets - some distinctive architecture, good spatial variety and a reasonably compact, diverse centre. There is great potential to improve the townscape character with well-considered urban design and architectural projects – and the principal gateways and open spaces in the town should be important elements of this enhancement process. These could do much to develop the retail, tourism and social vitality of Biggleswade.

Does the local countryside have a distinctive character? Biggleswade is situated in the Ivel valley – a low-lying area of calcareous soils and alluvial gravels. The riverine landscape is subtle and in places features an attractive arrangement of old pasture and riverside trees. There are ponds and lakes from gravel extraction along the valley. A slight ridge formed by chalky glacial deposits to the south east of the town (Stratton Park) would have made an attractive dry route for the Romans marking out their great north road and later a good place for a Saxon settlement (hence Saxon Way).

To the north and west the Greensand ridge provides a more variable landscape with sandy soils - nowadays characterised by an attractive wooded agricultural landscape. The Ivel valley cuts through this landscape. To the east of Biggleswade (the area earmarked for urban expansion) and to the west around the Caldecotes are small areas of the Bedfordshire Claylands - more readily associated with North Bedfordshire. Their fertile soils have been used for more intensive cereal, field vegetables and market gardening in recent decades – giving rise to large, open fields and a rather cold featureless landscape. Modern road, rail and urban development often create prominent features throughout the locality.

Is the landscape of high quality? There are no national landscape designations in the locality. To the west and north of Biggleswade, in the wooded agricultural landscape around Old Warden and west of Ickwell and Northill, and in the Greensand landscape between Sandy, Sutton and Potton, the local plan indicates an Area of Great Landscape Value. Within these landscapes there is a ‘presumption against development likely to have adverse impact upon the character of these areas’. Where there has been rapid expansion between villages, the land separating them is sometimes identified as an Important Countryside Gap in the Local Plan. In these locations there is a presumption against development, but this is not necessarily a reflection of landscape quality. Conservation areas are designated in the older settlements including Biggleswade, Sandy, Potton, Clifton, Henlow, Ickwell, Northill, Old Warden, Southill, Sutton and Wrestlingworth.

Is the countryside important for agriculture? The land around Biggleswade is predominantly grade 2 and 3 agricultural land. The predominant agricultural crop is cereals, with field vegetables and market gardening more common on the flatter claylands. The locality has historically been an important food producer for both London and northern cities and still plays a significant role as a food producer. There is a variety of market gardening in the locality – notably around Caldecote and Beeston.

Is the countryside important for nature conservation? The Ivel river and associated wet meadows and gravel pit workings form an important conservation resource for Mid-Bedfordshire and the region. A partnership of local authorities and agencies supports the Ivel Valley Project, a team (presently based in Biggleswade) that promotes sustainable management and conservation of this resource as well as developing access to the area and related educational initiatives. The Biggleswade Common is a traditional common, now managed to maximise its conservation value and providing a significant conservation resource. It is a designated County Wildlife Site, as is the Ivel river corridor. There are no Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) or conservation sites of national importance in Biggleswade. Woodland around the Lodge in Sandy is designated as an SSSI and there are a variety of County Wildlife sites in this locality. In these areas development is only permitted where ‘need outweighs the nature conservation value’.

Are there areas of historic importance? Conservation Areas are listed above. Gardens at Ickwell Bury, Old Warden, Southill Park and Shuttleworth are listed on the national Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. There are a variety of Scheduled Ancient Monuments in the locality including in Biggleswade a motte and bailey at Brookland Farm and a moated site at Stratton Park. Other sites include a bridge at Sutton, an Iron Age camp at Sandy and sites at Dunton, Old Warden and Southill. There are a variety of listed buildings in and around Biggleswade including churches, industrial and domestic buildings. Local archaeological excavations have located important Roman and Saxon finds. The Biggleswade History Society have compiled extensive photographic and other records of the development of the town. There is no museum in Biggleswade, although there is a small display at the swimming pool about Saxon finds on the site.

Is the countryside being actively managed? Countryside Stewardship Schemes (DEFRA) are in place on Biggleswade Common and a number of local farms. The scheme provides grants for approved management practice (e.g. avoiding chemical fertilisers and pesticides) and conservation orientated capital projects. The schemes are set up for ten-year periods. Stewardship schemes cover the common, the back meadows west of Biggleswade, and West Sunderland Farm and Portobello Farm, east of the common. Manor Farm and The Fisheries is under the scheme between Biggleswade and Sandy and Jordan’s have land under the scheme in Holme. The Riddy at Sandy and Langford Meadows/Henlow Common are also managed for conservation interest and Warren Villas at Sandy is a nature reserve owned by RMC Aggregates. An area around Saxon Gate, including land adjacent the swimming pool, new woodland belts and the Stratton Moat site have been included in an integrated management plan developed in conjunction with the District Council, the Ivel Valley Project and the local community. The present status of this plan has not been established.

Are there plans for major changes around the town? There are major plans for expansion of Biggleswade to the east of the town (see Appendix V). This scheme will sever immediate links to the countryside for residential and school facilities along the existing town edge. On Langford Road there are proposals for employment related development (access infrastructure is already in place) and new sports pitches. This would extend ‘urban’ development beyond the A1 ‘boundary’ and significantly reduce the rural gap between Biggleswade and Langford. There is more land available for development at Stratton Business Park. New tree planting has begun a plan to create a landscape buffer around this large-scale development. There is discussion about extending development at Bells Brook (adjacent Sainsbury’s supermarket). The proximity of the river floodplain may limit the potential for this development – but there is a need to enhance this gateway area to the town. An access road is regularly used as a lorry driver rest area and temporary traveller stopover - which leads to litter and fly-tipping.

In consultation no residents have noted any perception that the rural/urban interface around the town generally detracts from the overall character of the settlement. However, there is agreement that paths and rural links could be improved and that new development must not compromise existing links.

Summary: In consultation it appears that Biggleswade residents still see themselves as predominantly rural people and value associations with the countryside - although agriculture and other links with the land do not form a major part of the local economy.

There are a number of important ‘rural’ attractions near Biggleswade and some important off-road routes.

With significant changes taking place in the national agricultural economy, it will be interesting to see how the countryside alters around the town in years to come. To a large extent it may not alter greatly. Market gardening has already been reduced to a few small areas and the majority of local land is already dominated by cereal crops. Stewardship schemes are already prevalent on land of fringe quality for modern agriculture. This is possibly the face of English lowland farming for the immediate future.

It is considered that opportunities to develop the local economy through rural tourism should be given more support. There are considerable rural assets around Biggleswade and as an important gateway and service centre for the locality more could be done in and around the town to encourage rural access and countryside interpretation. This will also be of great benefit to the growing town population. A good understanding of countryside issues needs to be incorporated into school education – to ensure respect for this important local resource.

General perceptions of the town in its rural context: When visiting the town, the links between town and country are not immediately clear. The low-lying landscape reduces any opportunities for notable visual links (e.g. such as Sandy has with the Greensand ridge behind the town). Biggleswade is easily ‘missed’ by motorists travelling along the A1. Perhaps the clearest links are at the northern entry to the town (Bells Brook to Shortmead Street) where the edge of urban development can be seen in contrast to meadows and the river corridor. This setting is brief and its amenity value is reduced by features such as billboards.

What natural links are there between town and country? The River Ivel provides the most significant link - creating a north-south corridor at the western edge of the town. Meadows and farm land along this western edge form the ‘Back Meadows’ extending, to some extent, the landscape of the Biggleswade Commons through to the Town. However, the town has generally turned its back on the river corridor and visual linkage to this landscape is limited. The Commons provide a substantial landscape resource to the north of the town and there are a number of footpaths which assist this linkage. However, the landscape is essentially very flat and visual linkage between town and country is limited.

Links to the countryside to the east of the town have been consistently altered by new development and this trend will continue with the East Biggleswade development. Potton Road and Dunton Lane are important vehicular links to the town and there are a variety of public footpath links.

To the south the A1 forms a barrier between town and country. However, in reality the modern industrial and residential development of the town has already separated the old town from its hinterland before one reaches the road corridor. The Langford Road and a track (BW40) adjacent ‘The Lakes’ Recreation ground (soon to be upgraded – see below) provide footpath links to the south. The development of new recreational grounds to the south (proposed on Langford Road) could help to create a new transitional space between ‘town and country’.

Are there design elements or characteristic features which link town and country? The river, the presence of the old Franklins Mill at Mill Lane, and possibly the local red brick vernacular in older buildings could be identified. However, in general it is difficult to define a set of distinctive characteristics for the town. This has been confirmed in consultation with local people.

Historic links between town and country? The Market Place and the Mill are again probably the best physical examples of the links, which have clearly been diluted over time. The town has been an important milling, malting and brewing centre until recently, and with Jordan’s maintaining a major presence in the town one could argue this is still true. The town has also been shaped by its relevance as a food distribution centre, although its importance as a market is now diminished.

Are there any memorable views into or out of the town? The low-lying topography generally mitigates against this. Views from Dunton Lane allow some limited panoramas of the town. This view includes large warehouse-style buildings at Stratton Business Park – but new woodland planting will eventually obscure these. Views across the ‘back meadows’ from the riverside paths begin to define a distinctive sense of place – and this could be enhanced. Visual detractors at present include the A1 as a backdrop to parts of the town, the semi-derelict nature of some land around the town, the Harris Fair trailer park on the river’s edge, the ‘back’ of some residential and industrial estates (notably in some views from the A1), and caravan homes at Stratton Park.

Are urban fringe activities making the interface with the countryside less distinct? This dilution is apparent along the Langford Road where land pending developing has become fallow. The views from Dunton Lane illustrate the visual influence of urban development in an essentially rural location. The land designated for the East Biggleswade development will extend the visual and physical influence of the urban areas. Large industrial style developments which service agricultural production (e.g. Bedfordshire Growers on Potton Road) break down the barriers between town and country. Farm diversification and amenity landscape associated with new development will continue to blur the town and country distinction.

What long distance or locally important footpaths link town to country? The Kingfisher Way (FP 18/21) is a well-publicised walk from Baldock to Tempsford along the Ivel valley and passing through Biggleswade. Biggleswade Common features a variety of signposted walks (BW 9 and 11, FP10, 12-15,17,19,20) which are also promoted with leaflets. A number of paths and bridleways are promoted by the Parish Paths Partnership – particularly circular walks to the east of the town (including BW 28 and FP 24-27 and 30-39).

The Skylark ride is a promoted bridle path route linking Biggleswade, Sandy, Gamlingay and Wrestlingworth.

A dual use path is to be constructed alongside the railway corridor to form part of the Great North Cycle route (a Sustrans initiative). This will provide improved cycle and pedestrian access south (to Langford and beyond) and north to the common and Sandy. Importantly it will provide an improved off-road north/south route through the town and a safe route between schools and residential areas.

Summary: There is a lack of distinctive ‘place making’ features and spaces in Biggleswade and this is particularly significant when one considers reference to the historical links between town and country. This is disappointing given the historical significance of the town as a river crossing, a market and a service centre for rural production. Although the river corridor is a major landscape asset, its presence is not generally acknowledged in the townscape. The area around Franklins Mill - a potential tourist ‘honey pot’ and attractive backdrop to the town - is under-utilised. It is significantly downgraded by the Harris Fair trailer park.

It would be possible to improve the quality of landscape around the town – for the benefit of existing residents and to enhance inward investment opportunities. This needs to be considered at the macro scale – looking at the total landscape pattern, as well as considering gateways into the town, enhanced townscape design, as well as specific routes and spaces.

New development must be designed to promote future links to the countryside rather than further downgrading them. The existing network of paths will be greatly enhanced by the proposed north/south cycle route but must be supported with additional east/west routes throughout the town.

It is clear from the number of comments received during the Healthcheck consultation process that many people feel that matters relating to environmental quality and management are extremely important. There is a widespread view that Biggleswade has ‘gone downhill’ in recent years and some indication that shoppers, at least from outlying villages, prefer to go elsewhere because of this perception. Therefore it is not considered extreme to conclude that Biggleswade is suffering economically because of an apparent lack of understanding about the benefits of good environment.

Biggleswade has a variety of important physical and cultural ‘environmental’ assets. It is considered that the river, outlying landscapes, some significant buildings and the potentially attractive scale and composition of the town centre are undervalued, under-utilised and possibly unrecognised by some policy makers. It should be a principal goal of future development and policy making in the town to ‘unlock’ the potential of these assets.

The importance of environmental enhancement throughout the town is considered so important that Appendix III of this report expands on a number of themes relating to specific issues and potential projects around the town. However, to briefly summarise, the following issues are thought to be very important for economic, social and environmental success in the town in future: