The East West Railway Company (EWR) has revealed its new proposals for car parking at Bedford station.
Bedford Borough Council was shown the plans on Wednesday afternoon shortly before it went to the public, which include more than 900 spaces overall. 435 spaces would be in a six-storey multi-storey car park and 192 in a surface car park, both on Ashburnham Road; another 293 spaces would be in a surface car park off Ford End Road along with 10 drop-off/pick-up spaces.
Earlier proposals from EWR in 2024 had included plans for an eight-storey multi-storey car park on Ashburnham Road on the site of the current station car park. This was scrapped over concerns that too much traffic would be centred on one location and that the car park building was too tall.
And earlier this year EWR unveiled proposals for 1,200 car parking spaces in Ford End Road. This was abandoned after concerns of traffic issues in Queens Park and the town centre were raised by residents.
The East West Rail project is a multi-billion-pound rail link being built between Oxford and Cambridge, with Bedford at its centre. It is being delivered by EWR Co, a government-owned company.
Bedford Borough Council has expressed serious concerns about multiple aspects of the scheme, including the lack of traffic forecast modelling data and assessments. The Council has made repeated requests for information so that it can make an informed and meaningful contribution to the decision.
Councillor Nicky Gribble, Portfolio Holder for Environment at Bedford Borough Council said; “We met with EWR yesterday and told them once again that we want – no, we need – to see their overall masterplan. We still don’t have a reliable view of how these plans will impact traffic or road capacity. Whether it’s EWR’s overall modelling, the five-legged roundabout on the end of Prebend Street, how traffic will be managed going in and out of Queens Park, we can’t go into this blind.
“It’s good that EWR has listened to community concerns, but we need EWR to get serious about giving us the practical details.
“We also made it clear, once again, that any decision on EWR’s car parking plans will need to be agreed as part of the Development Consent Order by the Secretary of State.
“It’s important to remember that this is not the Council’s proposal and that the final decision will not be made by Bedford Borough Council, but we will continue to represent our residents.”
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