Bedford Town Centre Masterplan
Bedford Town Centre Masterplan
Bedford is an historic market town of 165,000 people, located 70km to the north of London. In addition to being on key north-south rail lines, Bedford is located within the Cambridge–Milton Keynes–Oxford arc (or the “knowledge corridor”), in which the government aspires to build one million new homes by 2050. When East-West Rail is completed in phases, Bedford will be a strategic rail interchange and a location conducive to growth.
The Bedford Town Centre and Ford End Road masterplan was commissioned by Bedford Borough Council, as part of the One Public Estate programme which encourages the use of public sector land to unlock new development. The masterplan aims to redevelop key brownfield sites, link otherwise disparate elements of the town, provide a step-change in sustainable transport connectivity, and enhance streets and spaces.
In a team led by Allies and Morrison, we provided transport, engineering and conservation input for the masterplan. Our working included reviewing baseline movement conditions and engineering constraints, assessing heritage assets, developing a strategy for rerouting traffic around the town and concept designs for reconfiguring key junctions to foster a more place-oriented nature, working with the borough’s traffic modellers, and developing ambitious new cycle proposals.
Client: Bedford Borough Council
Lead Consultant: Allies and Morrison
Images: Courtesy of Allies and Morrison