Hayfield lies to the north of the established communities of Aspley Guise and Woburn Sands, to the south of the A421 and the east of Cranfield Road. It is within the boundaries of Central Bedfordshire and is around six miles from the centre of Milton Keynes. The parcel of land is approximately 43ha in area, although the area of land that would be developed with buildings is only about 17ha. The rest of the land provides infrastructure such as a school, sports pitches and public open spaces.

Our Hayfield Park proposal is for a standalone community meeting some of its own needs but linked to nearby infrastructure.

This location has long been considered a sustainable location for new homes and our site is identified in principle in the currentLocal Plan for development. It will connect directly into, and will assist in delivering, the newly dualled A421. It will also reserve a corridor for the route of the Bedfordshire to Milton Keynes waterway. Building in this location,close to leisure uses, shops and jobs in Milton Keynes allows new residents to cycle or take the bus, and also reduces trips by car that would otherwise be made from longer distances away. We are bringing forward an application now because the government is encouraging more house-building, the local plan has been delayed and the area is a very sustainable location to meet CentralBedfordshire’s housing need.

Hayfield Park would contribute up to 650 much-needed homes for Central Bedfordshire, providing a balanced community meeting some of its own needs but also linked to nearby infrastructure. The development will contribute to meeting the housing targets for Central Bedfordshire without directly affecting local communities. The site has no special environmental considerations so development here means that more environmentally sensitive sites would be protected. We believe Hayfield Park presents an ideal development opportunity that will offer benefits to existing communities while delivering high quality homes and sensitively reflecting the character ofCentral Bedfordshire Villages.

We are working with Central Bedfordshire Council and have welcomed the opportunity to discuss our proposals with local parish councils.We hope to build a strong dialogue with these stakeholders in order to achieve the best outcome for a sustainable development that meets the needs of the local area and its residents.

The Hayfield Park site falls within the boundary of Central Bedfordshire Council. Our application has been registered by Central Bedfordshire Council as: CB/17/04989/OUT. It is available to view online here.

If planning permission is granted, subject to receiving the appropriate approval on reserved matters, we anticipate construction could commence in 2018 with the first homes ready in 2019.

We are promoting land in the Aspley Guise triangle in the Central Bedfordshire Local Plan which could deliver future expansion while retaining clear boundaries to protect the identity of existing villages in the area.  At this stage, the emerging Local Plan 2035 identifies the wider site as a ‘future growth location’ pending confirmation of the route of the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway. None of the potential routes for the Expressway would affect the application site. A planning application for this larger site is not being considered at this stage. However, we are being careful to ensure that Hayfield Park would work well with additional villages should this be seen as appropriate. Hayfield Park could therefore be the first of four villages that we anticipate could deliver a total of 3,500 homes in the area, alongside local centres, health and well-being services, improved public transport, highways improvements, schools, sports, leisure and recreation, open space and community facilities.