Bedford Borough Council Decision No

BEDFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL DECISION NO. __1461_____

RECORD OF EXECUTIVE DECISION TAKEN BY AN EXECUTIVE MEMBER

This form MUST be used to record any decision taken by the Elected Mayor or an individual Executive Member (Portfolio Holder).

The form must be completed and passed to the Chief Officer Legal and Democratic Services no later than NOON on the second working day after the day on which the decision is taken. No action may be taken to implement the decision(s) recorded on this form until 7 days have passed and the Chief Officer Legal and Democratic Services has confirmed the decision has not been called in.

1. Description of decision That a grant of up to £1.76m be accepted to deliver the High Street Heritage Action Zone

2. Date of decision

22nd April 2020

3. Reasons for decision To enable work to enhance the High Street, Bedford, commencing in April 2020 and running for 4 years, to improve economic viability of the High Street and wider town centre.

4. Alternatives considered and rejected

The alternative is not to accept the funding. This was rejected as the project could not go ahead without the funding.

5. How decision is to be funded The decision is to accept up to £1.76m awarded by Historic England to deliver the High Street Heritage Action Zone. The total project budget is £5.83m. The remaining funding is match funded by the high street element of the Transporting Bedford programme.

6. Conflicts of interest Name of all Executive members who were Nature of interest Did Standards Committee give a Did the Chief Executive give a dispensation for that conflict consulted AND declared a conflict of dispensation for that conflict of interest? (If of interest? (If yes, give details and the date of the interest. yes, give details and date of dispensation) dispensation).

- 1 -

The Mayor has been consulted on this decision n/a

Signed: Date: 22nd April 2020 Name of Decision Taker: Mayor Dave Hodgson

This is a public document. A copy of it must be given to the Chief Officer Legal and Democratic Services as soon as it is completed.

Date decision published: ……………………22 April 2020………………………………………………………

Date decision can be implemented if not called in: ……………4 May 2020………………………………

(Decision to be made exempt from call in………NO……..)

- 2 -

Bedford Borough Council – Report for the Portfolio Holder for Town Centres and Planning

Date: 14 April 2020

Report by: Chief Officer for Economic Growth and Property

Subject: Acceptance of Grant Funding for the High Street Heritage Action Zone from Historic England

1. Executive Summary

Bedford Borough Council has been awarded a grant of up to £1.76m from Historic England to deliver the High Street Heritage Action Zone. This project is being match funded by Transporting Bedford High Street Improvements (funded by Bedford Borough Council and SEMLEP) and Love Bedford and will last for four years.

This project builds on the successful Townscape Heritage Initiative and will deliver improvements to the High Street, increasing economic activity in the town centre as well as bringing in private sector investment.

It is a combination of 5 sub-projects that focus on public realm and shop front improvements, bringing buildings back into use as well as community and cultural engagement activities.

2. Recommendations

The Council accepts a grant of up to £1.76m to deliver the High Street Heritage Action Zone.

3. Reasons for Recommendations

Acceptance of the grant will enable work to enhance the High Street, Bedford commencing in 2020 and running for 4 years, to improve economic viability of the High Street and wider town centre.

4. Key Implications

(a) Policy

*(1)

The Council’s Corporate Plan 2017-2021 and the Growth Plan 2018-22 outline the key priorities areas and this report specifically supports the goal of “Enhance Place” in each of the plans respectively. This report also relates to the Local Plan 2030 regarding the development of the town centre and the draft Town Centre Plan and associated policies, including the Towns Fund, One Public Estate and Mayor’s Town Centre Priority Fund.

(b) Legal Issues

The Council will need to comply with Historic England’s grant agreement and will be required to monitor and report on progress and performance.

The project funds a dedicated project officer for the duration of the Programme and additional support will be provided by key officers in the Council as part of their normal duties. This is detailed in the Programme Design (Appendix A) which formed the basis of our bid for funding from Historic England.

The Council is match funding the project through the Transporting Bedford High Street Improvement works.

The Council will receive grant payments at the end of each quarter, after the monitoring report has been submitted and approved.

There will be no ongoing resource implications for the Council.

(d) Risk Implications

Acceptance of the grant will commit the Council to undertaking the work forming the Programme Design.

If the acceptance of the grant is not approved, the Council will have to reject the offer of grant funding from Historic England and not proceed with the programme delivery.

A full risk assessment will be undertaken as per the requirement of Historic England.

(e) Environmental Implications

The programme will have a positive impact on the environment. The changes to the High Street public realm, through the Transporting Bedford works will reduce the impact of traffic and improve the local environment. *(2)

(f) Equalities Impact

An equalities impact assessment has not been undertaken for this report. The programme’s engagement will be conducted in accordance with the council’s equalities strategy, and with assistance from the council’s equalities team.

5. Details

The High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) forms part of the wider package of government support for town centres in England. A successful expression of interest was submitted by the council in Summer 2019, which lead to the submission of the Programme Design (Appendix A) in December 2019. A grant offer of up to £1.76m was made to the Council in April 2020.

This programme builds on the successful Townscape Heritage Initiative and will deliver improvements to the High Street, increasing economic activity in Bedford town centre as well as bringing in private sector investment.

The programme is a combination of five projects that focus on public realm and shop front improvements, bringing buildings back into use as well as community and cultural engagement activities. The five projects are:

• Project A – Transporting Bedford 2020 High Street Improvement Works • Project B – Community Engagement Activities • Project C – High Street Building Repair & Restoration Scheme • Project D – Conversion of Upper Floors • Project E – Bank Site Development

The full programme design, developed to support the bid for funding from Historic England, can be viewed in Appendix A.

The programme of delivery will last for four years, starting April 2020 and will deliver the following objectives:

• To enhance the Conservation Area • To reduce the impact of traffic and improve the local environment • To increase economic activity in the High Street • To develop community capacity and engagement activities *(3)

• To increase use of the High Street for heritage / cultural activities

Projects B, C, D and E will be led by the Economic Growth & Development team with significant input from the Heritage and Planning Compliance team. The cultural element of the programme delivery will be led by the Libraries and Culture team, through the Bedford Cultural Partnership. There will be a dedicated project manager to coordinate and monitor the programme delivery and will report to the Manager for Economic Growth & Development.

Project A is being led by the Highways Team, through the Transporting Bedford programme. This programme is funded through Bedford Borough Council and SEMLEP and is being used as part of the match funding for the Bedford HSHAZ. The Transporting Bedford Project Manager will work closely with the HSHAZ Project Manager.

The programme is due for delivery from April 2020. In light of the current Covid-19 pandemic, this work is even more important to supporting our Town Centre; in addition, Historic England are aware of the effects the pandemic may have on the HSHAZ programme delivery. They have given assurance that they will work with the Council to adjust its Programme Design as necessary in response to current, and any future, restrictions.

6. Outcome & Consultation Summary

The following Council Departments or Officers and/or other organisations have been consulted in preparing this report:

• Finance • Legal • Planning • Portfolio Holder for Town Centres & Planning • Mayor of Bedford Borough Council

No adverse comments have been received.

Report Contact Officer: Eleanor Karklas Manager for Economic Growth and Development ([email protected])

Appendices: Appendix A - Bedford HSHAZ Programme Design

*(4)

CONTENTS

1. Bedford High Street 3 2. Objectives of Bedford HSHAZ 10 3. Planned Works and Scheme Management 14 - Programme of Works 18 - Scheme Management 29 4. Statement of Community Engagement 33 5. Cultural Programme 37 6. Funding Requirements 40 7. Conservation Policies 42

Appendix List

1. Conservation Area Map 2. Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan 3. Design Framework for Public Realm 4. THI Evaluation 5. Bedford HSHAZ Logic Model 6. Bedford Growth Plan 2018-2022 7. OPE Programme 8. Transporting Bedford 2020 Strategy 9. SEMLEP Local Industrial Strategy 10. SEMLEP Strategic Economic Plan 11. Bedford HSHAZ Condition Survey 12. Bedford HSHAZ Vacancy Survey 13. Project Officer Job Profile 14. Example of Grant Decision Criteria 15. Bedford Town Centre Survey Summer 2019 – Initial Findings 16. Core Strategy & Rural Issues Plan 17. Town Centre Area Action Plan 18. Local Plan 2030 19. Strategy for High Street SPD 20. Shopfronts at Advertisements 21. Climate Change and Pollution SPD 22. Bedford BID Letter of Support 23. Drawing of Bedford High Street Highway Design 24. Map of Bedford – wider road network 25. Letter of Commitment to scheme

Section 1: Bedford High Street The Bedford High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) will focus on Bedford High Street which is situated in the Castle Ward, within the Bedford Borough local authority boundary. High Street is within the Bedford Conservation Area which was first designated by Bedfordshire County Council in 1969 and was subsequently consolidated by Bedford Borough Council who, in 1975, after public consultation, designated a single Conservation Area that encompassed and extended the previously protected areas. It is in the northwest quadrant of the late Saxon/Medieval settlement of the town and is, therefore, of considerable archaeological significance. The principal land uses along the street are commercial with shops, restaurants & cafes and offices lining the street and extending into the rear areas, such as The Arcade, which opened in 1906. High Street retains the architectural character of a prosperous market town. It is highly enclosed by a close-knit range of fine, mainly C18 and C19, three storey buildings with narrow facades, attractive irregular roofline and long burgage plots which are a reflection of their medieval origins. It is a one-way street with traffic flowing southwards from the Dame Alice Street/St Peter’s Street Junction and contains 14 listed buildings though there is considered potential for a greater number of buildings which meet the national criteria. Please see Appendix 1 for maps of the conservation and proposed HSHAZ areas. Issues encountered in and around conservation area Bedford town centre continues to face wider structural and local challenges including:

 A decline in footfall  An inherited road network which includes major roads and large vehicle numbers passing through the town  The closure of national stores, including Marks & Spencer in May 2019  The perception of community safety  Historic street patterns and buildings reflect its rich history but also means that there is a challenge in reconfiguring buildings that are often hard to maintain  Bedford town centre is lacking in civic areas and open and public spaces.  Highest level of unemployment in the borough is focused in Castle ward. The Bedford Conservation Area Appraisal sets out the general condition, including negative features and capacity for change on the High Street. The following issues are highlighted and remain relevant (please see Appendix 2 - sections 9.1. and 9.2 of CAA):

 The dominance of vehicular traffic and associated noise and pollution seriously compromise the quality of the historic urban environment.  A more coherent design strategy in terms of public realm and street furniture would enhance St Paul’s Square and adjoining areas.  The area has suffered unsympathetic changes including modern shopfronts and advertisements and it is vital that future change is carefully controlled in terms of scale, siting, materials and detailing.

 The vacancy of many upper floors raises concerns about the maintenance of the historic building stock.  The public realm of Silver Street lacks unity with the adjoining public realm and would benefit from a more coherent approach. The square at the eastern end with High Street would benefit from a convincing visual focus (which the new piece of public art seeks to provide). The Huddlestone bust deserves greater prominence.  The high volume of traffic (and narrow pavements) using Harpur Street North and High Street threatens to overwhelm the character and appearance of the townscape and raises issues concerning the impact of vibration and pollution on the historic fabric.  There are signs of neglect along High Street and some unfortunate modifications.  The attractive views down High Street towards the river are marred by the intrusion of a point block to the south. This demonstrates the sensitivity of the townscape to development within the setting of the Conservation Area.

Bedford Conservation Area is considered to be ‘at risk’ on the current national Heritage at Risk Register and is the only one of Bedford Borough Council’s 27 conservation areas to be designated as such risk. It has been put at risk due to the poor quality of some shopfronts in the town centre, levels of vacancy and high traffic levels on the High Street.

High Street has also been designated as an Air Quality Management Area due to the levels of oxides of nitrogen which are accepted as being the primary pollutants from vehicle traffic.

The photos below show the volume of traffic which has an impact on the High Street

Analysis of underlying rationale for intervention

Conservation Rationale We selected the area for our scheme because:

 Historic England has identified the Conservation Area as a whole as ‘at risk’  It represents a ‘cluster’ of buildings in which real change can be achieved to great effect  High Street has been identified as the number one priority for revitalisation in the town centre through both previous citizen’s panels and the recent Town Centre Consultation.  It is a key gateway into the town centre which currently offers an unwelcoming and neglected approach  The historic townscape is vulnerable to further decline and needs a concerted approach to address the problem

Our scheme proposes the preservation, enhancement and regeneration of Bedford High Street through a combination of: restoration of buildings; shop front and façade improvements to historic buildings; bringing the upper floors back into use; a contribution towards a new landmark building on the former Barnards Bank site; and improvements to the public realm alongside marketing and promotional activities and events. The Bedford Conservation Area Management Plan proposes a unified design approach to public realm works. In order to meet this aim with regard to High Street, the Council has adopted a Design Framework for Public Realm Works for Bedford High Street (Appendix 3). The document analyses the current issues affecting High Street as well as looking at the historical surfacing and street furniture of High Street which includes a photographic record.

This document has been used to guide the initial design proposals for the detrafficking of the High St by reducing the number of traffic lanes from two to one. The footways will be widened and resurfaced in York stone. The underlying rationale is that these works will enhance the significance of the conservation area and provide a better quality pedestrian multi-use environment. This should consequently lead to greater occupancy of buildings for all use

5 types (though principally retail and residential) and ensure better long term maintenance of those buildings.

Economic Rationale Castle Ward, which the High Street lies within, comprises the commercial town centre and residential areas. It is characterised by great diversity including areas of significant deprivation and affluence. Breakdown of data shows a ward of two halves, with the town centre experiencing high deprivation and unemployment levels. The top business sectors in the Castle Ward are Retail, Professional Services and Hospitality. Nearly three-quarters of the population are economically active, with 40 percent in full time employment and 12 percent in part-time employment. The largest employment sector is in retail (15% of those in employment) and it is the second largest industry sector (after health care). Almost 11% of business units in Bedford town centre are vacant, equating to 122,700 of empty floor space. The use of space in the town centre is changing with retail space reducing by 10,300 sqft (equating to a 2% drop) in the past year and “restaurants & cafes” increasing by 1%. Bedford is the Borough’s principal centre for shopping, civic facilities, tourism, arts, heritage and culture. It also hosts a wide range of regular markets and events, which enhances the centre’s main shopping and visitor offer.

Based on these economic factors, the rationale for intervention with our HAZ scheme is to provide an improved environment, with better public realm and shop frontage. This will then address the economic challenges outlined above. With retail being the predominant employment and industry sector, efforts to maintain a retail sector in the area is paramount. A fall in retail will have a significant impact on the residents who live in the local area. By improving the environment, it will create footfall, as it will be an attractive place to shop. With more footfall, businesses are more likely to start or grow their business on the high street, decreasing the number of empty units which are blighting the local area. Bedford does not have a strong tourism sector despite having plenty to offer. By undertaking this scheme, the heritage that is on offer will act as a draw for people to come and visit. As outlined in this programme design, there will be a range of activities to draw attention to the rich history that the town has to offer. Not only will it attract visitors from out of town, boosting the local economy, it will allow the local community to rediscover their town centre. Without the scheme, the heritage will remain undiscovered. The scheme will allow the town to celebrate its cultural heritage and to create a better quality and more welcoming gateway into the town centre which will increase the number of visitors, shoppers and residents. It will increase local spend in High Street businesses and encourage better quality businesses to relocate which, in turn, will provide more jobs and ensure current businesses remain. Community Rationale The demographics of the area are diverse. Over half the housing in the ward comprises of flats – either purpose built or converted from residential/commercial premises. A fifth of

6 housing comprises of terraced housing whilst a small proportion of housing (5%) is detached. The Ward in which the HSHAZ sits has a mixed ethnicity – just over half of the population are white-British, almost a third of residents identify as non-white and 15% identify as white-non-British. The majority of residents are within working age, with a slightly higher proportion under 16 compared to over 65. Half of local residents identify as Christian, whilst a quarter state that they have no religion. Almost 12% of residents are Muslim. Through the intervention of the HSHAZ programme, it aims to encourage more of the community to be involved in the heritage in the areas which they live. As seen from the statistics, the local area has a very mixed demographic mix, but the majority of those who engage in heritage are predominately white and older. The HAZ intends to engage with these communities, through the use of heritage, and encourage them to become interested, engaged and invested in the area that they live and work in. Building on Strengths The scheme will build on the strengths of the town, providing opportunities such as • Reinstating High St as one of the architectural high points of the town. There is currently little opportunity to appreciate the surroundings as a result of the overwhelming impact of the traffic. • Building upon the positive outcomes of the Bedford High St Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) scheme. • High quality historic features remain on many buildings, sometimes covered up by modern interventions. There is scope to reveal these and enhance these buildings and thereby the conservation area as a whole. The proposed scheme will help address the challenges the town faces and realise its potential through an improved and more inviting environment for shoppers and visitors; an enhancement of Bedford’s architectural and historic significance; reduced traffic; and bringing back a sense of community to the High Street.

Through the HSHAZ, Bedford’s High Street will have regained its former glory with fewer vehicles, better air quality and the streetscene transformed. Overall it will improve the image and profile of the street which will increase local pride and encourage greater participation by local people in their town and its heritage.

Assessment of current and past initiatives that have attempted to address the issues

Bedford High Street has previously been a recipient of funding to address the issues outlined above. The Bedford High Street Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) was an extremely successful partnership between Bedford Borough Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Bedford BID and the owners and tenants of properties on High Street.

The scheme went live in September 2011 and completed in December 2016. The key aims of the THI project were to restore the existing fabric, to encourage more and different uses and activity within the buildings and to improve access and movement around High Street.

In turn, this would make a significant contribution towards rebuilding Bedford’s distinctive offer, bringing back the traditional life and vitality to the street, stimulating the introduction of a café culture and niche retailing and re-establishing High Street as a street to be enjoyed by all.

These aims have been achieved and have delivered the THI Project’s overriding objective to assist in the regeneration of the town centre, by concentrating on the heritage assets within the historic and cultural area.

The main elements of the THI Project and its achievements were:  16 properties have been restored  A total project value of over £5 million (£5,032,764), with a total private sector investment of over £3.08 million secured from owners and tenants (over £2 million more than anticipated)  33,999 sq ft of vacant floorspace has been brought back into use (over 10,500 sq ft more than originally anticipated)  36 new residential dwellings, 6 new businesses have been created and 2 established independent local businesses attracted to High Street to fill 3 vacant units  Over 130 different Learning, Education & Training events have been held, resulting in 800 people being reached with: o Over 390 students and young people and over 300 businesses receiving information, training or work experience o 50 contractors undertaking formal training in addition to over 40 college lecturers, council officers, commercial agents, developers etc.  High Street’s image and profile has improved with businesses choosing to either establish themselves there or relocate from elsewhere in the town  Stimulating further private sector investment improvements to buildings (ripple effect)  Generating a renewed focus on High Street as an important part of the town centre’s future.

Through the Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI), repair and restoration work to buildings, along with complementary skills and information events, the local area has been greatly improved. However, whilst this scheme was a success, not all the buildings and ambitions were resolved. It is the intention of the HSHAZ to continue to build on this previous initiative. Full evaluation of the THI Scheme can be viewed in Appendix 4

Support for the Bedford High Street HSHAZ

Throughout the development of the HSHAZ, officers recognise the importance of consulting with local businesses and residents. The success and positive feedback received regarding our THI programme was the starting point for the development of our HSHAZ. The THI scheme was informed throughout the scheme with regular citizen panels which highlighted the desire to improve the local heritage. In September 2019, a town centre consultation was undertaken

8 to understand the views of residents for enhancing the town centre. Preliminary results show that the local environment was one of the favourite aspects of the town centre with particular mentions of the heritage and therefore it is important that we enhance the heritage assets that we have and engage with the local community. We intend to continue to seek support of the local community and this is outlined in Section 4 of our programme design.

Business support is crucial to our Bedford HSHAZ and we have worked closely with our Business Improvement District (Bedford BID) for the town centre. During the Expression of Interest stage, we attended business meetings to understand the support for the scheme where we received positive feedback. As a result, Bedford BID agreed to financially support the scheme which was included in their business case for re-election. The election took place in October 2019 and the BID was overwhelmingly voted in for a fourth term. A letter reconfirming their support is included in Appendix 22.

Business owners have been consulted on the TB2020 scheme to ensure that the highways works will improve their environment and do not adversely impact their business. Throughout Summer 2019, highway engineers visited all of the properties along the High Street to seek views and assist with the detailed design of the scheme. Feedback from the owners was positive and they can see the benefits that the public realm scheme, along with the shopfront improvements, will bring to the High Street.

Section 2: Objectives of Bedford HSHAZ Scheme Bedford High Street HSHAZ has the following five objectives: 1. To enhance the Conservation Area 2. To reduce the impact of traffic and improve the local environment 3. To increase economic activity in the High Street 4. To develop community capacity and engagement activities 5. To increase use of the High Street for heritage / cultural activities There are 10 specific objectives relating to the Transporting 2020 programme, but these are not specific to this aspect of the scheme. The relevant objective (TS02) has been included through Objective 2 for this HSHAZ scheme. The five objectives of the Bedford HSHAZ scheme will lead to four long term outcomes: 1. Preservation of the historic high street for future generations 2. The High Street being the premier destination in the town centre for retail and leisure use 3. Communities taking on greater responsibility for the legacy of the project, including cultural activities. 4. Wider investment in the town centre area. All of the projects described in the scheme will contribute to these outcomes through the delivery of their specific outputs. In total, the scheme has 26 outputs, 11 key outputs and a further 15 relating to the Community Engagement Plan, which will be measured annually to ensure progress throughout the whole of the scheme. Further information on evaluation can be found in Section 3. The overall measurement and evaluation on the project has been displayed in a logic model (Appendix 5) detailing the resources required, outputs expected to be achieved and how the scheme will have an impact in the short, medium and long term. The HSHAZ scheme and the associated objectives have been developed to complement existing economic development and other policies that objectives. The policies are outlined below and how the objectives relate to them: Local Policies Our Growth Plan 2018 – 2022 (Appendix 6) is the main economic development policy for the borough. Within the Plan, one specific aim relates to “Enhancing Place” to encourage growth within the borough. Within this aim, there is a specific enabler that relates to our scheme: “to create a high quality multi-functional centre, building on our distinctive identity.” Heritage is an important aspect of our identity and needs to be utilised to encourage growth in this area. Our proposed scheme will achieve this by improving the environment to highlight the current and proposed buildings that have been restored and enhanced to reveal our rich heritage. Objectives 1, 2 and 3 specifically relate to this Policy.

The Council has a strong planning policy framework in place to pursue regeneration of the High Street including supplementary policy documents specifically tailored to address issues affecting the street. This, along with all relevant Supplementary Planning Documents has been outlined in Section 7. The One Public Estate (OPE) (Appendix 7) Programme aims to encourage owners of public sector assets to work together to make better use of their combined assets. A masterplan for Bedford Town Centre has been approved by the Council and OPE partners are working together to achieve the main aims, which includes increasing economic growth. This programme will complement the HSHAZ as the masterplan focuses on sites on the edge of the historic core and to the south of the town centre. Objective 3 specifically relates to this policy. The Transporting Bedford 2020 Strategy (Appendix 8) has been developed after analysing how traffic moves around the town. This Strategy has led to the development of the scheme, of which our HSHAZ programme is part of, to improve the road layout of the High Street to enhance the local environment and revitalise an important area of the town centre. Objective 2 specifically relates to this policy.

The recently formed Bedford Cultural Partnership, which consists of the local authority, local cultural and heritage providers and community organisations, and the education and skill sector, has begun the process of developing a Cultural Strategy. Initial research work has identified a town centre outdoor events programme as a priority area for the partnership, which aligns well with the aims behind the HSHAZ Cultural Programme. Following on from the successful Town Centre Consultation undertaken in the summer, the Council intends to develop a Town Centre Strategy which will incorporate our Town Centre vision, which has heritage at its heart, as well as the results. In addition, Bedford was selected as a town to develop a Town Deal. This will be developed to complement and build on current and future schemes, including the HSHAZ. Regional Policies Bedford is located in the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) area and there are two policies that complement economic development and the HSHAZ scheme: The Local Industrial Strategy (LIS) (Appendix 9) looks at the successes and strengths of the area and identifies priorities and interventions to realise innovation, further improve connectivity and, achieve growth that is sustainable, inclusive and makes a positive impact on our environment. The LIS identifies that the assets of a local area need to be strengthened as “places provide the foundations on which the area is able to attract and retain all other drivers of productivity. Attractive, well-designed spaces for living and working reduce brain drain and make the area more appealing to potential investors. They also bring positive impacts upon health and wellbeing, which in turn have a knock-on effect upon life expectancy, labour force participation and productivity.” The work on the High Street will contribute to this, making Bedford more of an attractive prospect for business

11 investment, thus increasing footfall and viability of the town centre and contribute the action “support cultural activity and other initiatives to bring people closer to, and into, the labour market, and to regenerate relatively deprived areas.”

As with the Borough’s Growth Plan, SEMLEP’s Strategic Economic Plan, (Appendix 10) has a key aim to “Grow Places” and the HSHAZ will contribute to this by enhancement of the environment and restoring the positive heritage qualities of the area to make it a more attractive proposition for businesses and employees to live and work. Proposals for maintaining momentum created during HSHAZ scheme The HSHAZ is already building on the THI project undertaken between 2011 and 2016 which demonstrates that schemes in Bedford do not end when the funding ends. There is a strong partnership ethos in the town centre which will maintain momentum following the end of the HSHAZ programme. The local Business Improvement District team for the town centre, Bedford BID, are partners on the HSHAZ scheme. Businesses recently voted in favour of continuing BedfordBID for another 5 years from April 2020. This will be their fourth term and shows the support of businesses for improving their town centre. Bedford is one of the 101 towns selected for a Town Deal and heritage will play a significant aspect in the development of the Town Investment Plan. The vision is that this will be a long term plan which recognises all the positive work already undertaken in the town and to build on that. With the active community engagement programme to be undertaken, we want this to be long-term, not the duration of the project. This sustainability will be built into the community engagement plan, working with local residents to give them the skills, confidence and resources to be empowered to continue investing in their heritage and culture of where they live. Public Benefits of the Scheme: The objective and outcomes of the scheme, through the proposed projects, will provide public benefits to the local community. Sustainability will be delivered through robust contractual agreements with owners of the properties, setting out terms and conditions of the grant. After the scheme has ended, the Council’s planning enforcement team will continue to monitor the properties to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement. The scheme will provide access and interpretation through the community engagement plan, which will allow the scheme to understand the priorities of the local community and where they feel access is restricted. By providing information through informative and interactive engagement, it will increase the understanding and enjoyment of the scheme for the public. There are no public buildings being developed and therefore there is no opportunity for physical public access to be granted. However, through digital mediums, members of the public will be able to see heritage work that would not necessarily be viewed otherwise. We will also continue with our participation in the national Heritage

Open Days programme so that both locals and visitors to the town have the opportunity to visit historic buildings in the town that might otherwise be inaccessible. Through the community engagement plan, our social inclusion proposals will seek to engage with hard-to-reach groups. Provision of exhibitions, talks and workshops will provide educational benefits to both adults and children, ensuring that all generations benefit from this scheme. To comply with legislation, a full equality impact assessment will be undertaken. Throughout our HSHAZ we will develop opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge of local residents and practitioners in conservation and heritage skills. The partnership has a good working relationship with the local college to promote conservation skills to local students. Through community and cultural events, these skills can be demonstrated to ignite an interest and then signposted to courses that are delivered externally. Through our HSHAZ scheme, we intend to leverage in additional funding to develop the bank site at the junction with High Street and the scheduled and grade II listed Town Bridge and adjacent to the grade II listed 1 St Pauls Square which was successfully conserved as part of the THI scheme. This site previously housed the town’s bank (Barnard’s Bank) which was demolished in the mid 20th century to enable the widening of the town bridge. It is a longstanding vacant site that presents a gap in the local townscape. There is an opportunity to reinstate a building here that will enhance the setting of surrounding heritage assets while also providing a local community function due to its highly accessible central location. Officers are therefore considering options for accommodation for homeless people and uses on the ground floor currently taking place in other Council-owned buildings in the town which may be more appropriately located here. Those types of uses may lever in funding from other sources, including other existing local authority funding streams, to enable them. That approach was particularly successful as part of the THI scheme in relation to 1-4 St Pauls Square where joint funding from the Homes and Communities Agency and the Council’s affordable housing budget enabled around £800,000 additional funding to plug the conservation deficit which existed on that project and ultimately led to the provision of 13 affordable homes. The site also forms part of the One Public Estate initiative which supports ambitious development programmes between public partners.

Section 3: Details of Planned Work and Scheme Management Identification of repairs and restoration

Loss of architectural unity Both the Conservation Appraisal and Management Plan (Appendix 2) highlight the harm that has occurred due to unsympathetic alterations and modern shopfronts and advertisements. There is extensive photographic evidence available from the Bedfordshire Archives Service, the Historic Environment Record and local history publications showing the former appearance of buildings across the Conservation Area and particularly on High Street. Some examples are provided below to illustrate where harm has occurred and how missing architectural details may be restored. The loss of architectural unity may occur either within a short terrace of buildings (originally designed as a single architectural piece) or on an individual building where the shopfront fails to relate to the building above; or where shopfronts span beyond one or more individually designed buildings.

The photograph above shows 95-105 High Street in 1869. It shows a mid 19th century design with a consistent (and highly attractive) ground floor storey treatment encompassing shopfronts and entrances. It is strengthened and balanced by the use of regular spacing of ionic columns which enhances the building’s classical design origins.

The picture above shows the same block today. The unity and much of the architectural value of the terrace has been severely harmed by the insertion of modern shopfronts and differing fascia treatments. However, a significant proportion of original details remain and it should be possible to reinstate the former character and quality of the terrace with appropriately managed alterations.

The photographs above show the use of inappropriate materials on High Street. The left hand photograph shows uPVC windows of inappropriate form and detail that are quite out of character with the host building and Conservation Area. The right hand photo shows modern tiles over the original glazed brick and stone on a central doorway feature thus harming the appearance and character of the area.

Public Realm

As highlighted in the Conservation Area Appraisal, the presence of high traffic flows harms the character of High Street, both in terms of historic context and as a shopping and leisure environment. High Street pays a heavy price as a main traffic route with its character being dominated by traffic to an unacceptable degree. The pavements are narrow with an excess of pedestrian guardrailing. Public realm treatments along High Street pay little regard to its historic status including the poorly lit and neglected passageways.

The public realm would very much benefit from improvement. The current mix of street furniture and signage, the vast majority of which is of no historic interest, has led to an incoherent, cluttered appearance to the street. The footway treatments are a mix of small module concrete slabs and block paving which lends the footways undue visual prominence and does not suit the historic context. In addition, the chamfered edges of the paving tend to collect dirt and exaggerate the joint widths between the individual units. Currently the street furniture and surfacing treatments tend to dominate. The aim must be that the quality of the architecture stands out and the paving acts as a simple plinth to the buildings.

Listing Bedford HSHAZ will consider the benefit of listing activity with work ranging from a minimal refresh of existing listings to fuller review of the area, with agreed promotion and engagement. The detail and timing for this work will be determined by discussion with the Bedford HSHAZ Project Officer and Historic England regional staff. Research Bedford HSHAZ can consider any requirements for architectural or archaeological investigation into the HSHAZ area or individual heritage assets, to inform the delivery programme. This may be used to support on-going management of an asset or area, or to promote greater understanding and appreciation of heritage significance. If such work is required, further liaison with Historic England will determine whether a HE investigation project is appropriate for our HSHAZ. Statutory powers

Article 4 Directions

The Council has carefully considered the introduction of an Article 4 Direction for High Street to control operational development. However, none of the buildings on High Street are single dwelling houses, and thus have only very limited permitted operational development rights (PD rights). The buildings are generally of mixed use, including retail and commercial and/or residential elements or in leisure use (bars/restaurants), where permitted development rights are much more restricted, particularly as the whole area is designated as a Conservation Area. Notwithstanding the above comments, there is a longstanding commitment in the Bedford Conservation Area Management Plan to consider Article 4 Directions for the wider

Conservation Area relating to minor works such as altering windows, doors, hardstandings in front gardens etc. That has not been progressed for resource reasons but the Council will review its work programme with a view to increasing this as a priority. Schedule 2 Part 7 of the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) allows for non- domestic extensions to shops and professional premises. In almost all classes within that part of the schedule, there is a specific exclusion of PD rights in conservation areas. There appears, therefore, to be very limited risk of harm associated with the exercise of PD rights in relation to these types of premises on the High Street. There is, however, a risk of harm associated with PD rights relating to painting a building under Part 2 Class C. The Council has previously considered an Article 4 Direction to address this risk in relation to the threat to historic ‘ghost’ signs in the town having lost one due to repainting of a façade. At that time, the option was not pursued due to the risk of service of a non-immediate direction (the Council would not consider an immediate direction due to the financial risks) prompting an owner to paint their building to overcome the loss of PD rights. The Council will, however, formally review the case for such a measure specifically relating to the High Street and report its findings to Historic England. We have also considered the use of discontinuance powers in relation to cases where the exercise of PD right has caused harm (see 14 St Pauls Square). We intend to pursue such cases once the scheme has commenced and we are able to demonstrate the Council’s commitment to improving the visual amenity of the area to the Courts. With regard to permitted changes of use, the Council made a non-immediate Article 4 Direction on 14th November 2019 to prevent changes from C3 (single dwellinghouse) to C4 (small HMO) use which covered the whole town centre. The Council is also currently actively considering the introduction of an Article 4 Direction to remove permitted development rights to convert office buildings to residential use. Area of Special Control

The Council has considered designating the commercial zones of the Conservation Area as ‘areas of special control’ in order to introduce stricter control of advertisements. However, a full analysis of that designation has shown that the level of extra control gained would be negligible, primarily as advertisements are already relatively strictly controlled by virtue of the Conservation Area designation. This measure has not, therefore, been pursued further.

Other measures

The Council has a strong record of serving urgent works notices, listed building and planning enforcement notices and has successfully pursued some notable listed building prosecutions. With specific regard to High Street the most effective option in the enforcement toolkit is likely to be discontinuance notices. These would be considered where there is poor quality signage, advertisements or other development (such as painting) that currently benefits from deemed consent but is considered to harm the character and amenity of the area. It is envisaged that such notices will become more and more justifiable

17 as the quality of shopfronts and signage improves on High Street by virtue of our scheme. The use of section 215 notices will also be considered and the threat of such a notice has recently ensured the cleaning and repainting of the Ladbrokes building (20 High Street). Programme of Works We have identified a range of repair and enhancement works from small-scale advert and shopfront improvements through to a major public realm scheme and a new building on a longstanding gap site. The key elements of the Bedford Heritage High Street Scheme are:

 The repair and restoration of buildings on the High Street  Conversion of upper floors  Narrowing of the carriageway along High Street to single lane  Widening of the footways along High Street and reinstatement in York stone  The development of a landmark building on the former Bank site  A programme of community engagement The key long-term impact of the scheme is expected to come from the repair, restoration and re-use of heritage buildings along Bedford High Street and the streets just off the High Street together with significant improvements to the highway and public realm. The Programme is split into five projects, with three reserve projects: 1. Project A – Transporting Bedford 2020 2. Project B – Community Engagement Activities 3. Project C – High Street Building Repair & Restoration Scheme 4. Project D – Conversion of Upper Floors 5. Project E – Bank Site Development The three reserve projects are: Additional High Street Building Repairs and Restoration Works, Additional Upper Floor Conversions and public realm improvements. We have carried out a visual condition survey and identified a programme of repair and restoration work to 43 buildings on the High Street and adjacent roads (Project C). The buildings have been ranked over years 1-3 of the programme or placed on a reserve list. A list of the buildings and work proposed can be found further below. The programme includes a modest amount for works to upper floors Project D, which will be allocated to key buildings to assist with bringing them forward. Our experience of carrying out work of a similar nature under the previous THI scheme, where we carried out extensive works to 12 historic buildings, is that not all of the business premises we would like to improve will come forward. As a result, we have developed a reserve programme of works that includes additional works to repairs and restoration, upper floors and public realm works to St Paul’s Square or Silver Street Square. Funding has been allocated in later years to the development of a landmark infill building on the former Bank site at the junction of the High Street and St Paul’s Square (Project E). This site is in Council ownership and the work forms part of the wider One Public Estate

18 programme and High Street HAZ funding will allow this project to come forward. It is a longstanding vacant site that presents a gap in the local townscape. There is an opportunity to reinstate a building here that will enhance the setting of surrounding heritage assets while also providing a local community function due to its highly accessible central location. It is envisaged that a 3 storey building would be provided with a quality of materials and detailing commensurate with its prominent status in the streetscene. Officers are considering options for accommodation for homeless people and uses on the ground floor currently taking place in other Council-owned buildings in the town which may be more appropriately located here. This would provide socio-economic benefits as well as heritage ones. Project Summary Table

Project Title Start date End date HE funding Match Combined funding total Project A Transporting 03/08/2020 31/03/2021 HSHAZ £3,850,000 £3,850,000 Bedford (50% BBC and 50% SEMLEP) Project B Community 01/04/2020 31/03/2024 £20,000 £20,000 £40,000 Engagement from BID Activities Project C High Street 01/04/2020 31/03/2024 £781,640 Project A £781,640 building repair and restoration scheme Project D Conversion of 01/04/21 31/03/23 £335,360 Project A £335,360 upper floors Project E The Bank Site 01/04/2021 31/03/2024 £300,000 Future £300,000 contribution TBA Other Project 01/04/2020 31/03/2024 £191,000 £200,000* £391,000 Manager/ in kind Programme Management Other Conservation 01/04/2020 31/03/2024 £132,000 Nil £132,000 consultancy expertise Total £1,760,000 Total £5,830,000 projects: cost: *Match funding for the Project Manager post is based on the following;

 Chief Officer for Economic Growth and Property 5% for years 1-4  Chief Officer – Planning & Highways 10% for year 1 and 5% for years 2-4  Manager for Economic Growth & Development 20% for years 1-4  Manager for Heritage & Planning Compliance 20% for years 1-4  Project Manager - Town Centre Transport Strategy 35% for year 1

Reserve Scheme List (in priority order) Reserve Scheme 1: Additional High Street Building Repairs and Restoration Works £210,000 Reserve Scheme 2: Additional upper floors conversions £340,000 Reserve Scheme 3: Additional Public Realm £300,000

Project A: Transporting Bedford

Project Title Transporting Bedford – High Street Improvements Description of Bedford Town Centre Public Realm is one of three elements of the Project and its Transporting Bedford 2020 project. This project will carry out major objectives refurbishment and public realm works to the High Street with traffic reduced to one lane. The objective is to widen the footways and reinstate with heritage materials to improve the visual amenity and create a more pleasant space for shoppers. Project Category Public realm improvement Estimated Outputs Reduction in traffic speeds and reduction in traffic Project Leader Brian Hayward Project Leader’s Brian Hayward, Project Manager, Bedford Town Centre Transport contact details Strategy, Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford MK42 9AP Phone: 01234 276206

Any project SEMLEP, The Innovation Centre, University Way, Cranfield, Bedford partner MK43 0BT organisations’ Phone: 01234 436100 contact details Budget HE LA SEMLEP £Nil £1,925,000 £1,925,000 Start date 03/08/2020 End date 31/03/2021

We have secured funding to widen the footways, resurface them with traditional York stone, reduce the carriageway to a single lane and remove unnecessary street furniture, all in consultation with local businesses. The TB2020 scheme will deliver a legacy of focused improvements to the street scene and a rebalancing of street space to reduce the dominance of the motor car and open up the street for all. The improvements made in this project will enhance the heritage work being undertaken in Projects C and D. From the original designs submitted (Appendix 8), the TB2020 team have worked with Historic England to adjust the design to increase the heritage aspect of the programme. As a result of the discussions, we are currently redesigning the Silver Street area of the scheme to increase the western footway outside Debenhams by 1m to assist pedestrian movements. We are also adjusting the road layout north of Silver Street to align it more

20 closely to the building lines. Due to delivery restrictions at the rear of High Street premises, loading bays are essential on the High Street. However, we will involve Historic England in the decision-making process for the materials to be used in the High Street to minimise the visual impact and obtain sample materials to aid this process. A drawing of the road redesign can be viewed in Appendix 23 and a map showing premises which have the restrictions will be shared as soon as possible. As the design develops, we will look to make the pedestrian crossing arrangements, particularly at St Paul’s Square, more generous. Unfortunately, Bedford’s road network is governed by the historic river crossing and the lack of alternative provision in the town. Appendix 24 shows the wider road network. The High Street runs across Town Bridge, and the only other river crossing in the core urban area is the heavily congested Prebend Street bridge to the west. Given the lack of alternative routes, it is not possible to reallocate scarce road space from vehicles to pedestrians and cyclists any further than has been currently planned. High Street remains the most suitable route for traffic generated in the north to access the south of the town and further afield. We have looked into whether it would be possible or desirable to ban HGV movements, but have concluded that it would not; partly because of the need for deliveries to be made, and partly because the alternative route via St Cuthbert’s Street is equally harmful to the town’s heritage assets. Despite the restrictions faced by the pre-existing network, we are committed to removing as much traffic as possible from the town centre, enhancing the local environment and working with partners, including Historic England, to help achieve this. Appendix 25 is a letter of commitment to this aim. Project B: Community Engagement Activities

Project Title Community Engagement Activities Description of Series of community events and design workshops to engage the Project and its local community and gather their views on the regeneration of objectives Bedford High Street. The objective is to make more residents aware of the heritage and history within Bedford and encourage them to visit the town centre and High Street more. Project Category Community Engagement and Capacity Building Estimated Outputs Increased no. of resident participants. Increased number of events held Project Leader Project Manager – to be appointed Project Leader’s Not yet available contact details Any project TBC partner organisations’ contact details Budget HE LA Bedford BID

£20,000 £Nil £20,000 Start date 01/04/2020 End date 31/03/2024

Further details of the Community Engagement are outlined in the Statement on Community Engagement Plan (Section 4). Project C: High Street Building Repair & Restoration Scheme

Project Title High Street Building Repair and Restoration Scheme Description of This project is to engage local property owners and tenants on High Project and its Street Bedford and encourage them to take up grants for objectives restoration or historic shop fronts / historic features. The objective is to improve the appearance of the High Street to attract new visitors and businesses to this part of the town. Project Category Shop front and capital works (repair / restoration of historic building) Estimated Outputs Up to 40 properties with historic shop fronts / heritage features restored on Bedford High Street. Project Leader Project Manager – to be appointed Project Leader’s TBC contact details Any project None partner organisations’ contact details Budget HE LA Other sources £781,640 £Nil £ Property owners / tenants Start date 01/04/2020 End date 31/03/2023

Forty-three properties have been identified as eligible for work as part the High Street Building Repair and Restoration Scheme. Thirty-six are included within Project C and the remaining seven form a reserve list. All the heritage restoration work identified will have a visual impact, and this combined with the public realm improvements will make the High Street a more attractive place to live or visit. Priority has been given to bringing four vacant properties on High Street back into use in year 1. Year 2, the largest programme of restoration work, comprises most of the remaining vacant properties together with occupied buildings ranked high and some others. Twenty- two smaller scale improvements form year 3 of the programme. Below is a list of all the properties, the work proposed and an estimate of the HE funding required. A condition survey including a photograph of each property is available in Appendix 11. A vacancy survey of properties on the High Street can be viewed in Appendix 12.

Year 1 – Vacant Buildings

No Occupancy Works Cost 21-25 Vacant New signage £2,000 High Street 72 High Vacant Replacement shopfront £35,000 Street 87 High Vacant New signage £1,640 Street 90 High Vacant Replacement shopfront £50,000 Street Total £88,640

Year 2 – Priority 1 Buildings

No Occupancy Works Cost 43 High bbtea Replacement shopfront £30,000 Street (roller shutter unauthorised and subject to enforcement action)

47 High Ali Barber Replacement shopfront £30,000 Street (adjacent to listed building)

49 High Vape Fever Replacement shopfront £30,000 Street (adjacent to listed building).

58 High Sundaes Replacement shopfront and £40,000 Street signage (signage and awnings currently unauthorised)

58a High Vacant Replacement shopfront and £25,000 Street signage (existing signage currently unauthorised)

1a Silver Vacant Replacement shopfront and £25,000 Street signage

71 High Charity outlet shop Replacement shopfront £75,000 Street 107 High Vacant Replacement shopfront and £40,000 Street first floor window

113 High Salvation Army Replacement ground floor £75,000 Street shopfront

14 St wodkaLIVE Repaint upper façade £5,000 Paul’s Square Total £375,000

Year 3 – Priority 2 Buildings

No Occupancy Works Cost 15 High MJ Replacement signage £2,000 Street (smaller fascia, hand painted)

17 High Nazar Remove lights £1,000 Street (unauthorised) and replace with more sympathetic type

19 High Blue Monk 1st and 2nd floor window £13,000 Street repairs

22-24 Mario’s Replace first and second £6,000 High floor uPVC windows with Street timber 30-32 Astons Replace illuminated signage £2,000 High at ground floor Street 55 High Vogue Repair upper floor windows £15,000 Street and repaint/repair façade

63 High Tesco Express New signage £3,000 Street 69 High Cross Keys Dormer repairs £10,000 Street 70a High Cancer Research Replacement signage £2,000 Street 73 High Sharps New signage £8,000 Street 76 High The Zip Yard Replacement signage £2,000 Street 78 High Colemans Replacement shopfront £35,000 Street 85 High Brooks Hair and Beauty Replacement shopfront £35,000 Street 89 High Ali’s Restaurant Replacement signage £2,000 Street 94 High Subway Replace 1st and 2nd floor £8,000 Street windows

95 High BETFRED Replacement shopfront and £40,000 Street façade/window repairs (opportunity to reinstate classical colonnade of shopfronts in terrace)

96 High Goodfellas Replacement signage £2,000 Street 97 High All Ears Replacement shopfront and £40,000 Street window repairs (opportunity to reinstate classical colonnade of shopfronts in terrace)

105 High Funky Junction Replacement shopfront and £37,000 Street windows (opportunity to reinstate classical colonnade of shopfronts in terrace)

3 Mill Daisy May Florists Replacement shopfront £15,000 Street 4a Mill Sandwich bar Replacement shopfront £15,000 Street 1a Lime Pharoah’s Land Replacement shopfront £25,000 Street Total £318,000

Reserve Buildings List

No Occupancy Works Cost 53 High Slug and Lettuce Repair upper floor windows £25,000 Street and repaint/repair façade (listed building)

57 High Subway Replacement shopfront £30,000 Street 59 High Crema Replacement shopfront £30,000 Street 61 High Jagged Edge Replacement shopfront £30,000 Street 62 High Kasztelan New shopfront £25,000 Street 64 High Rymans New shopfront £40,000 Street 98 High Bedford House Dental Replacement shopfront £30,000 Street Practice Total £210,000

Project D: Conversion of Upper Floors

Project Title Conversion of Upper Floors Description of This project will allow the council to offer a small number of local Project and its property owners and tenants on High Street Bedford, taking up objectives grants for historic shop front restoration, to convert vacant upper floors to residential. The objective is to carry out maintenance to preserve heritage buildings and create new homes. Project Category Capital works (repair/restoration of historic building) Estimated Outputs A small number of upper floors brought back into use Project Leader Project Manager – to be appointed Project Leader’s TBC contact details Any project None partner organisations’ contact details Budget HE LA Other sources £335,360 £Nil £ Property owners / tenants Start date 01/04/2020 End date 31/03/2023

The HSHAZ project team will work with identified property owners to develop upper floors. One of the condition of upper floor conversion will be the shopfront has to be improved. This will ensure maximum visual impact in the HSHAZ area as well as bringing additional uses to the currently vacant floors. Upper floors conversions will be predominately residential based on the experience of our THI project. The scheme will be supportive of other uses, such as offices, public services or leisure, but in our experience there is little demand for these other uses. Project E: Bank Site Development

Project Title The Bank Site Description of This project aims to develop a new landmark building on the former Project and its Barnard’s Bank site, at the southern end of Bedford High Street. The objectives upper floors will be residential and the lower floor/s for town centre uses. Project Category New development on a gap site Estimated Outputs A new landmark building at the southern end of the High Street Project Leader Sarah Lister Project Leader’s Sarah Lister, Senior Officer Property Projects Programme Lead, contact details Bedford Borough Council, Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford

MK42 9AP Phone: 01234 276957 Any project TBC partner organisations’ contact details Budget HE LA Other sources £300,000 £TBC £TBC Start date 01/04/2021 End date 31/03/2024

The proposed new building will be beside 1-4 St Paul’s Square, which are the oldest secular buildings in Bedford. OPE funding has been secured to carry out a feasibility study looking at the development of the Council’s heritage buildings and land on the south side of St Paul’s Square. This will consider options for temporary accommodation on upper floors and uses on the ground floor currently operating from other Council-owned buildings in the town, which may be more appropriately located here. Those types of uses may lever in funding from other sources, including other existing local authority funding streams, to enable them. As the project is at feasibility stage, it will require Executive approval before proceeding further. The details of the project will be developed in the first years of the Bedford HSHAZ scheme, in conjunction with Historic England, ready to deliver in Year 4. The funding in Project E is a contribution towards the build to achieve a high quality architectural development on this high profile gap site that will provide connectivity to the High Street. Reserve Schemes:

Project Title Reserve Scheme 1: Additional High Street Building Repair and Restoration Works Description of Project C is to engage local property owners and tenants on High Project and its Street Bedford and encourage them to take up grants for objectives restoration or historic shop fronts / historic features. This reserve scheme identifies additional properties that we would improve if higher priority projects do not come forward. A list of the reserve properties can be found above under Project C with further information available in Appendix 11. The objective is the same as for Project C, to improve the appearance of the High Street to attract new visitors and businesses to this part of the town. Project Category Shop front and capital works (repair / restoration of historic building) Estimated Outputs Up to 7 additional properties with historic shop fronts / heritage features restored on Bedford High Street. Project Leader Project Manager – to be appointed Project Leader’s TBC contact details

Any project None partner organisations’ contact details Budget HE LA Other sources £210,000 £Nil £ Property owners / tenants Start date 01/04/2020 End date 31/03/2024

Project Title Reserve Scheme 2: Conversion of upper floors Description of This reserve project will allow the council to offer more local Project and its property owners and tenants on High Street Bedford, taking up objectives grants for historic shop front restoration, to bring convert vacant upper floors to residential. The objective is to carry out maintenance to preserve heritage buildings and create new homes. Project Category Capital works (repair/restoration of historic building) Estimated Outputs Additional upper floors brought back into use Project Leader Project Manager – to be appointed Project Leader’s TBC contact details Any project None partner organisations’ contact details Budget HE LA Other sources £340,000 £Nil £Nil Start date 01/04/2020 End date 31/03/2024

Project Title Reserve Scheme 3: Public Realm Improvement Description of This reserve project will carry out additional public realm Project and its improvements to St Paul’s Square that will enhance the southern objectives end of the High Street area by the Bank Site, The Swan Hotel and historic river bridge. Alternatively, if the new building proposed for the Bank Site is unable to proceed, we would look to carry out additional public realm improvements to Silver Street Square to complement the works carried out in Project A and to create a space for community use. Project Category Public realm improvement Estimated Outputs Improved areas at key locations.

Project Leader Brian Hayward Project Leader’s Brian Hayward, Project Manager, Bedford Town Centre Transport contact details Strategy, Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford MK42 9AP Phone: 01234 276206 Any project None partner organisations’ contact details Budget HE LA Other sources £300,000 £Nil £Nil Start date 01/04/2020 End date 31/03/2024

Scheme Management

The scheme will be led by Bedford Borough Council which will be the responsible Lead Body, hold the contract with the Historic England, manage, and be responsible for the HSHAZ Fund and enter into contracts with individual property owners for delivery.

The scheme will be overseen by a Partnership Board and delivered by a Project Team. The membership of these two groups are expected to be: Partnership Board: Chaired by the Portfolio Holder for Town Centres & Planning, it will consist of the Chief Officer for Economic Growth & Development, Chief Officer for Highways & Planning, Chief Officer for Regulatory Services & Culture (all Bedford Borough Council Officers) and representatives from BedfordBID, SEMLEP, Historic England and Bedford Cultural Partnership. The Partnership Board will have overall accountability for the scheme and ensure delivery is on target. They will be responsible for the overall monitoring, authorising changes and approving funding agreements, based on the recommendations of the Project Team. Information will be provided to the Board through quarterly reports produced by the Project Team.

The Council will approach the Bedford Architectural, Archaeological and Local History Society to seek a representative for the HSHAZ Board.

Project team: There will be a dedicated Project Manager, who will report directly to the Manager for Economic Growth & Development, who will be responsible for overall delivery of the scheme. The Project team will also include the Manager for Heritage and Planning Compliance, Manager for Libraries & Culture and Transporting Bedford 2020 Project Manager. We envisage that the HSHAZ Project Team, together with the Project Manager when appointed, will have the technical expertise to manage all aspects of the project on a day to day basis reporting to the Partnership Board on a regular basis. The Project Manager will be going out to recruitment in the New Year. The job description has been through the Council’s job evaluation and can be viewed in Appendix 13. The rest of the project team are

29 experienced professionals in their fields, managing each of their respective services. Below is a brief summary of their experience:

 The Manager for Heritage and Compliance, Ian Johnson, has around 30 years’ experience in conservation of the historic environment and has postgraduate qualifications in Town and Country Planning, Historic Environment Conservation and urban design. He is a full member of the IHBC and a chartered planner.  The Manager for Economic Growth & Development, Eleanor Karklas, has almost 15 years’ experience working in both Economic Development and Community Development, overseeing a variety of projects relating to the disciplines. She is a full member of the Institute of Economic Development.  The Project Manager for Transporting Bedford 2020, Brian Hayward, has over 25 years’ experience in Highways service delivery and project management, including overseeing a number of major civil engineering schemes. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation.  The Manager for Libraries & Culture, Tom Perrett, has around 15 years’ experience in the museum and heritage sector and has an MA in Museum Studies. He led the £6m redevelopment of The Higgins Art Gallery & Museum and has significant experience of partnership working in the delivery of cultural programmes. In addition to his role in the Bedford Cultural Partnership, he is co-chair of Bedford Borough’s Local Cultural Education Partnership. With regard to having a conservation-accredited architect on the team, the Council will procure the services of a Specialist Conservation Architect (SCA) or Architects Accredited in Building Conservation (AABC) architect, a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredited surveyor, or a Chartered Architectural Technologist with the appropriate accreditation in accordance with our procurement requirements. The Borough Council will ensure there are sufficient, and appropriately qualified, planning, conservation, property and economic development staff to manage the scheme on a day to day basis as well as using its enforcement powers where necessary whilst calling on the specific expertise of members of the Partnership Board as required.

The Portfolio Holder for Town Centres & Planning, the Chair of the Partnership Board, will oversee the project at a political level. It is anticipated that the Partnership Board will continue in some form when the project is completed thereby ensuring the investment is protected and the ‘best practice’ instigated during the course of the project continues after its completion. Additionally, the Strategy for High Street SPD is a material consideration when determining planning applications and will assist in dealing with breaches of planning control ensuring good practice continues during and after scheme completion.

The Council will be the accountable body for the HSHAZ and will manage the HSHAZ Fund. It has an excellent track record of administering its own and external public funds, for example the Townscape Heritage Initiative. It will ensure records are kept in such a way to allow for internal or external auditing during and at the end of the HSHAZ. Any accounting and auditing principles set by Historic England will be followed.

Awarding Grants – Decision Making Process

Subject to guidance from Historic England, it is expected that the application and decision making process will follow the successful THI method. This will ensure that a high standard is delivered throughout the project.

The decision of grant rates will be subject to discussion and confirmation with Historic England.

Pre-Application: The applicant will be advised to read the Guidance Notes and submit an initial Expression of Interest Form before a full application can be completed. All potential applicants must take part in pre-application discussions with the HSHAZ Project Manager to discuss the proposed works and whether the proposals are eligible under the terms of the grant scheme. A site visit will be undertaken and a schedule of works and specifications will then be agreed in principle.

Other pre-application processes are to be undertaken by the applicant and include amongst others, the need for three detailed tenders for the schedule of works if the grant contribution is likely to be over £10,000, agreed work specifications and to seek and obtain any required consents including listed building consent, planning permission or building regulations approval. These will need to be submitted with a completed full application form as well as other relevant information as set out in the Guidance Notes before an application can be assessed.

Grant Application Decisions: Applications for grant aid for properties will be assessed on a property-by-property basis, and against the criteria to be agreed by Partnership Board and Historic England. An example of criteria from the THI scheme has been included in Appendix 14.

The Project Steering Group and the Partnership Board will both work as part of the process to determine eligible applications and offer grants with the final decision being made the Chief Officer for Economic Growth & Property, subject to approval of delegated powers.

Both the Project Team and the Partnership Board will be involved in the decision making process from the beginning. Following an expression of interest, the HSHAZ Project Manager will liaise with the applicant to bring forward an application. Once an application has been received, its assessment will be led by the HSHAZ Project Manager working with the Project Team, drawing down their relative expertise, to ensure that the all key areas such as conservation standards, planning policy, development control are rigorously tested. The Steering Group and Partnership Board will ensure the application meets the assessment criteria and the priorities.

Once the assessment has been undertaken and the application amended where necessary, the HSHAZ Project Manager will put forward a recommended decision to provide grant aid or not. The Partnership Board will provide any further observations and finally endorse the recommendation. The Chief Officer for Economic Growth & Property, following

31 consultation, will then have the delegated authority to approve the grant application. Where set out in the programme delivery, some applications may require referral to the Historic England.

The Partnership Board will endorse and monitor the annual action plan in terms of progress being made and act as a sounding board, offering support and guidance on any issues that might arise throughout the process.

Evaluation of HSHAZ Scheme Our HSHAZ scheme will be continually monitored over the duration of the scheme, reporting back to each quarterly Partnership Board meeting and Historic England. This regular reporting of outputs will ensure the scheme remains on target and to identify any risks or issue that may have arisen and allowing mitigation measures to be put in place early. The project team will follow the Monitoring & Evaluation timetable prescribed by Historic England, starting with provision of baseline data prior April 2020 when the programme starts. Our Logic Model (Appendix 5) sets out the 11 key outputs that will measure the quantitative element of the evaluation. These will be measured as follows:

Outputs Measured by… no. of properties that have been repaired Completion of individual schemes and restored reduction in High Street Traffic cameras installed on the High average speeds Street reduction in number of cars using the High Street Housing accommodation created Completion of scheme Town centre premises (retail/office) increase in footfall levels Footfall cameras installed on the High reduction in number of empty properties Street Increase GVA Annual Vacancy Survey conducted National measures no. of residents engaging in organised Attendance sheets at events activities no. of events held to promote heritage no of participant in cultural activities Attendance sheets at events no. of cultural events held

These outputs will be combined with qualitative assessments, such as case studies and evaluations, to better understand the benefits to businesses and the community and ensure the aims and outcomes of the scheme are met. Further outputs and evaluations will be undertaken as part of the community engagement plan and feed into the main HSHAZ evaluation. See Section 4 for further details on the Community Engagement plan and evaluation.

Section 4: Statement of Community Engagement It is essential that communities are involved in the design and delivery of this scheme because they will be the end users. Creating a High Street that they want to visit is the only way that the outcomes will be achieved. Without their input, it is unlikely that the scheme will be the success we all hope it will be. Bedford Borough Council will use the principles set out in the Consultations Strategy 2017- 2021 to engage with the local community to design and deliver the scheme. The Strategy highlights a number of ways to engage with local residents, making sure methods are appropriate for the intended audience. To ensure that the whole community is engaged in the programme, one of the key elements will be the variety of engagement to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate. We will work with local partners to promote the opportunities to interact and be a part of transforming their high street. However, the High Street is not just for those who live in the area and the engagement will cover the whole of the borough, capturing the views on how people use Bedford’s high street and what will make them use it more as a result of this scheme. The HSHAZ project team will work with specific community groups and local schools to ensure that participants are reflective of the local demographics and ensure that everyone has had an opportunity to participate. As part of the project, the local authority will aim to work not just with our usual partners in effectively promoting and protecting Bedford’s historic environment, but also with members of the public. We seek to encourage those who live, work in, or visit Bedford, to become advocates for its local heritage, and to ensure their voices are heard. But to become advocates, people need to know what they are advocating for and become inspired to do so. There are published texts on Bedford’s townscape, archaeology and historic buildings, these have often been written for specialist audiences rather than a wider audience who may not be familiar with the technical language employed or be aware of the publication in the first place. At present, information which tells the story of Bedford’s ancient origins and development over more than 1000 years, is available at The Higgins Museum through its displays, and that there are a number of other ways it happens. The project will look to engage these existing mechanisms and resources in an accessible and inclusive way. It is recognised that Bedford’s local communities may feel they lack influence over the decision-making process. It is important therefore to make up-to-date information on Bedford’s historic High Street and its built, archaeological and townscape components, readily accessible in jargon-free formats, to help enable Bedford’s communities to develop a deeper sense of ownership for their surroundings and greater influence in the decision- making process. Our intent to include local communities in the work undertaken on the High Street and wider town centre area can be demonstrated through the work already undertaken to help prepare this programme design:

 As part of the development of TB2020, stakeholder workshops have been held to consider issues and opportunities relating to Highways & Transport issues in the town centre. An independent PERS (Pedestrian Environment Review System) Audit of the town centre was also carried out identifying where improvements to the walking environment should be made.  During Summer 2019, Bedford Borough Council undertook a Town Centre Survey, which was completed by over 2000 people online and held three consultation sessions which were attended in excess of 100 people. An initial assessment of the Town Centre Survey can be viewed in Appendix 15. Further, more detailed analysis, is currently being undertaken. We want to use empty unit(s) on the High Street as locations for delivering elements of the Cultural Programme but also as space for running a programme of community consultation throughout the lifespan of the project. This will be informed by the Urban Rooms model; it will be a physical space where people can reflect on how the town centre has evolved, understand what sort of a place it is now, and debate how it should be developed in the future. We also intend to use this space as a location for ongoing community consultation, and to interpret and present resources and ideas about the past, present and future of the High Street.

Objectives & Indicators for the High Street HAZ Community Engagement Aims/Outcomes

Aim / Outcome Objectives Targets & Indicators The needs, aspirations and Ongoing consultation to continue No. newsletters/ involvement of local to understand the needs and consultations produced communities are embedded in ensure involvement across the and distributed (online the design, delivery and legacy project and paper) of each project Focus groups to discuss the number of focus groups proposals for repairs and held restorations number of people engaged

A broad and diverse range of Engage with key community No. meetings held with people will be more aware, leaders to ensure a diverse range community leaders interested and meaningfully of people engage with activities involved in heritage on their %. of people engaged high street Work closely with the equalities from BAME background team to ensure all activities are accessible to all % of young people engaged Work with the Communication team to ensure all events, % of people with activities and updates are disabilities engaged distributed in a variety of methods so everybody has an opportunity to engage

Community Wellbeing will have Undertake a series of Heritage No. Heritage Walks increased through community Walks conducted participation in heritage programmes and activities Host events and workshops for number of events and Communities will feel more local communities to discover workshops held invested in their high street as their local history places to live, learn, work and visit Engage local communities in the No. surveying events held Local community organisations, surveying of key listed buildings groups and individuals will have learned new knowledge and Produce jargon-friendly literature no. of literature produced skills relating to heritage regarding the history of the high practice, mgmt., advocacy street so communities can Local community groups and understand and access organisations will have built knowledge easier capacity, learned skills and become more resilient through involvement in the programme The local economy will have Develop Heritage trails to attract number of people been boosted through the visitors to the area engaged in Heritage Trail contribution of local communities to the economic Promote businesses who have % increase in footfall regeneration of the high streets undertaken successful heritage along High Street restoration and repair work number of premises Work with owners to open up opening for Heritage Open properties for Heritage Open Days Days number of business Engage with High Street participating in businesses to ensure the scheme consultations is benefiting them, and not causing a detriment The provision of local social and Increase cultural and recreational To be determined – linked cultural spaces and services to opportunities for communities, to the Cultural Programme support local communities will including events and the creation have increased through of public realm spaces suitable community engagement in high for activity to take place. street projects Develop mechanisms for coordinating and delivering cultural activity which are established and become sustainable

Increase community capacity and engagement with the future of the town through involvement in decision making as well as participation in events.

Grow the offer, audiences and artistic practice of cultural providers and grass roots organisations, as well as individual creative professionals

Engagement will occur throughout the programme so participants can witness the changes occurring on the High Street and feed in ideas. A full engagement plan will be developed in accordance with the programme design and delivery guidance.

Section 5: Cultural Programme Establishing the consortium

Bedford is in an advanced position in that the consortium for developing and delivering the Cultural Programme already exists in the form of the Bedford Cultural Partnership (BCP). BCP consists of the following cultural and community organisations:  Bedford Borough Council (Libraries & Culture (incl. The Higgins Museum), Economic Development)  Bedford Creative Arts (National Portfolio Organisation (NPO))  University of Bedfordshire  Bedford College  Philharmonia Orchestra (NPO)  Full House Theatre  The Place Theatre  The Quarry Theatre  Spectacularts Foundation  BedPop In addition, a representative from Bedford Arts & Cultural Education (the Local Cultural Education Partnership for Bedford Borough) reports to the group, and representatives from Arts Council England and the Harpur Trust attend as guests. In addition, there is representation from the Heritage Bedford group on the Cultural Partnership (and vice versa).

BCP was formed by the Manager for Libraries & Culture in partnership with colleagues from other local cultural providers. The partnership, which meets every two months, is supported and facilitated by the Council but not led by Council Officers, strengthened by the fact there is a rolling Chair from amongst its membership. The principles under which the partnership operates therefore align well with the requirements of the Cultural Programme delivery.

BCP is already leading on an emerging cultural strategy for the Borough and the development of an outdoor town-centre cultural events programme. It has the capacity, expertise and networks necessary to act as the consortium responsible for developing and delivering the Cultural Programme.

The synergy between the existing aims of BCP and those of the Cultural Programme will be of significant benefit in terms of ‘hitting the ground running’ and maintaining the active involvement of partners through the life of the project. The commitment to deliver the Cultural Programme will be further reinforced through the consortium’s terms of reference and the adoption of a partnership agreement.

It is likely that a Working Group or similar would be created by the Cultural Partnership for the delivery of the cultural programme. This could include representatives from Heritage Bedford co-opted to the group (for example the John Bunyan Museum and Panacea Museum, both also located just on the boundary of the HSHAZ area).

Community involvement

The core partners of the consortium represent the local authority, education and skills sector (e.g. University of Bedfordshire and Bedford College), cultural providers, and community organisations (in particular Spectacularts Foundation and BedPop).

In addition, the cultural providers and education & skills partners have existing extensive and complementary links with ‘grass roots’ community and cultural organisations, who are often working within specific sections of what is a very diverse community. Mechanisms for involving these community partners in the development and delivery of services and programmes already exist. For example, The Higgins Bedford (Council-operated museum and art gallery) has embedded principles of co-production in its work, through a Community Panel as well as its Black History, LGBTQ+ and Young People panels.

Through these partnerships and existing ways of working, the consortium will ensure strong involvement of local communities in the development and delivery of the Cultural Programme. This presents the opportunity for the Cultural Programme to reflect principles of Cultural Democracy. The consortium will involve local people in a collaborative process of choosing, creating and taking part in brilliant cultural experiences. The ethos will be one of engaging participants in decision-making, building a sense of ownership over the Programme and ensuring it is relevant to our communities.

BCP is already leading on a Borough-wide research project intended to gather views from communities on cultural provision and inform an emerging cultural strategy, and which can be used to help inform the development and evaluation of the Cultural Programme. This includes the involvement of an academic partner (University of Bedfordshire), with the aim of measuring the impact of arts and culture on the local socio-economic landscape.

Maintaining the consortium and delivering the Cultural Programme – facilitation and support

As stated above, the consortium is facilitated and supported, and explicitly not led, by the Council. The Manager for Libraries & Culture sits on both the consortium and the internal Project Team, and will act as a key point of coordination between the two. They will have a key role in:  Coordinating the timetable for the consortium’s development of the Cultural Programme concept and action plan.  Monitoring the delivery of the Cultural Programme against the agreed objectives, outcomes and timetable.  Assisting with the practicalities of the main and any other funding applications; this may include acting as grant applicant and recipient if appropriate.  Ensuring evaluation is undertaken. There will be no undue influence exerted as the lead partner in terms of the development of the Cultural Programme – the terms of reference for BCP and a partnership agreement will help ensure this.

Other practical in-kind and additional support from the Council will include:

 Allocation of £40k within the wider HSHAZ Programme to supplement grant funding received.  Provision of space for consortium meetings, as well as town centre locations (venues and outdoor locations) for the delivery of events forming part of the Cultural Programme (see below).  Communications support with the promotion of the Cultural Programme.  Officer support from within Libraries & Culture and Economic Development in terms of access to expertise in community co-production and participation in the development of programmes, access to existing community networks, support with administration and coordination of the Cultural Programme, and practical support with outdoor events and activities.

The town centre is served by a number of Council-owned cultural hubs, in particular the Bedford Corn Exchange complex (performance venue), The Higgins Bedford (museum and art gallery), and Bedford Central Library. In addition, public open spaces in the town centre offer an ideal location for a coordinated events programme. Allied to this there are a number of non-venue based cultural providers in the town, and a rich ecology of community and voluntary ‘grass roots’ cultural organisations, who can struggle to find suitable delivery spaces. The Council’s facilitation of the Cultural Programme will focus on bringing together this rich resource to support a Cultural Programme that engages the public and showcases Bedford’s rich cultural diversity and traditions.

Council-owned cultural assets will further support the delivery of the Cultural Programme through access to the fantastic range of heritage resources – both document and object- based – held in our museum, libraries and archives services, to provide inspiration for projects celebrating the history of the town centre. Further support and engagement with the Cultural Programme will come from the emerging Town Centre Events working group, made up of Council teams who have responsibility for organising or coordinating events in this area. Through this route we will ensure involvement and support from Bedford BID as well as existing and established events such as Bedford Flea, BedPop Fun Palaces, StrEAT Fest and the biennial River Festival.

Bedford presents an ideal opportunity for a Cultural Programme focussed on supporting opportunities for bringing communities together and celebrating Everyday Creativity, when taking into account the strengths and networks of BCP (the consortium) and the diversity of our local community. The Council and BCP can facilitate this in particular by supporting an outdoor events programme in town centre locations which sees cultural providers delivering great art experiences, as well as providing an opportunity for community and voluntary organisations to showcase what they contribute to the cultural life of the town.

BCP are currently planning an outdoor cultural festival in town centre squares for October 2020 (coinciding with national Fun Palaces weekend). Depending on the development timetable, this provides an ideal opportunity to pilot ideas which could form part of the Cultural Programme or perhaps even launch the Programme.

Section 6: Funding The total HSHAZ budget, excluding the cultural programme, will be £5,830,000. This is set out in the Project Summary table earlier. The other funding will come from Bedford Borough Council, South East Midland Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) and Bedford BID. The amounts from each party are set out below; HSHAZ £1,760,000 Bedford Borough Council £2,125,000 SEMLEP £1,925,000 Bedford BID £20,000. The Programme Funding Table below shows all the funding sources above profiled by Project over the four years; Programme Funding

Project 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Total Project A £3,850,000 - - - £3,850,000 Project B £10,000 £10,000 £10,000 £10,000 £40,000 Project C £88,640 £375,000 £318,000 - £781,640 Project D - £190,713 £144,647 - £335,360 Project E - £50,000 £150,000 £100,000 £300,000 Project £46,360 £47,287 £48,233 £49,120 £191,000* Manager BBC officer £75,325 £41,485 £41,588 £41,602 £200,000 in kind contribution Conservation £36,000 £36,000 £36,000 £24,000 £132,000 consultancy advice Total £4,106,325 £750,485 £748,468 £224,722 £5,830,000 *The Project Manager post includes on-costs

HAZ Funding The estimated total funding requirement from Historic England for the Bedford High Street HAZ is £1.76 million. The HAZ Funding table below shows how the High Streets HAZ grant has been profiled over the four years of the programme;

Project 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Total Project A - - - - - Project B £5,000 £5,000 £5,000 £5,000 £20,000 Project C £88,640 £375,000 £318,000 - £781,640 Project D - £190,713 £144,647 - £335,360 Project E - £50,000 £150,000 £100,000 £300,000

Project £46,360 £47,287 £48,233 £49,120 £191,000* Manager Conservation £36,000 £36,000 £36,000 £24,000 £132,000 consultancy advice Total £176,000 £704,000 £701,880 £178,120 £1,760,000 *The Project Manager post includes on-costs

Match Funding The match funding provided by Bedford Borough Council, SEMLEP and Bedford BID is profiled below;

Project 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Total Project A £3,850,000 - - - £3,850,000 Project B £5,000 £5,000 £5,000 £5,000 £20,000 BBC officer £75,325 £41,485 £41,588 £41,602 £200,000 in kind contribution Total £3,930,325 £46,485 £46,588 £46,602 £4,070,000 *The Project Manager post includes on-costs

Funding for Project Manager The project manager position will be funded through the Historic England grant. However, this will be match funded with the Borough Council officers who will be seconded to the project. The below tables show the percentage of the role which will be spent on the HSHAZ scheme.

Chief Officer for Economic Growth and Property 5% for years 1-4 Chief Officer – Planning & Highways 10% for year 1 and 5% for years 2-4 Manager for Economic Growth & Development 20% for years 1-4 Manager for Heritage & Planning Compliance 20% for years 1-4 Project Manager - Town Centre Transport 35% for year 1 Strategy

Each role brings a specialism which will complement the project manager and ensure that the scheme will be delivered to the highest level.

Section 7: Conservation Policies The Council has a strong planning policy framework in place to pursue regeneration of the High Street including supplementary policy documents specifically tailored to address issues affecting the street. The framework is summarised below: Core Strategy and Rural Issues Plan (Adopted April 2008) Key objectives within the Core Strategy and Rural Issues Plan (Appendix 16) that are relevant to the Conservation Area are:

 to reclaim Bedford's role as county town, building on its distinctive personality;  the revitalisation and regeneration of the town centre;  high quality design that takes account of local character and local distinctiveness;  the protection and enhancement of green infrastructure;  the protection and enhancement of built and cultural assets; and  fostering the development of heritage and cultural tourism.

Key policies relevant to the preservation or enhancement of the character or appearance of the Conservation Area and its heritage assets are: Policy CP19 states that the regeneration of the town centre will involve significant structural change, infrastructure improvements and mixed use development. The town centre is the preferred location for new retail development, and other forms of development which attract a lot of people such as leisure and entertainment, offices, arts, culture and tourism. Policy CP21 sets out the Council’s aspirations for all new development to be of the highest design quality in terms of both architecture and landscape, to fully consider its context and opportunities to enhance the character and quality of an area and local distinctiveness, preserve and where appropriate enhance Conservation Areas, Scheduled Ancient Monuments (and other important archaeological remains), listed buildings and their settings. Policy CP23 states that new development will be required to protect, and where appropriate, enhance the character of Conservation Areas, Scheduled Ancient Monuments, listed buildings and other important historic or archaeological features. Policy CP26 states that any development is required to minimise the emission of pollutants, have regard to cumulative impacts of development proposals on air quality, particularly in AQMAs, minimise the consumption and use of energy, meet the national standard for building performance, achieve a minimum 10% reduction in carbon emissions where possible, use sustainable construction techniques and minimise use of water and waste.

For a transitional period, a number of policies from the Local Plan 2002, have also been saved and remain in force. Of specific relevance to conservation areas are policies BE9, BE11, BE13, BE15, BE16 and BE26, which cover a range of issues, including the control of development both within and within the setting of a conservation area. In addition, policies BE18-BE25 are relevant to issues concerning listed buildings and sites of archaeological interest. These policies can be found at Appendix 3 of the Conservation Area Appraisal (Appendix 2).

Bedford Town Centre Area Action Plan (Adopted October 2008) The Bedford Town Centre Area Action Plan (Appendix 17) provides a framework for the regeneration of the town centre, identifying key areas of change, along with detailed policies and proposals. The proposals map shows four key areas of change within the Conservation Area and a further four located within its immediate setting. The policies that relate to the Conservation Area and its heritage assets are: Policy TC3 defines the primary shopping frontages within which changes of use to non-retail will not be permitted. The High Street contains a small section of primary shopping frontage between Silver Street and No. 66 High Street. The remainder of the High Street is designated as a secondary shopping frontage. Policy TC4 deals with secondary shopping frontages and lists the criteria which will be used when considering changes of use from retail to non retail. These include the effect on the character and amenity of the area and the need to avoid the concentration of similar uses whose cumulative impact would be to the detriment of environmental quality, amenity, parking, the street’s retailing function or would increase the risk of anti-social behaviour.

Policy TC8 states the Council will prepare a strategy for the renaissance of Bedford High Street (please see Strategy for High St SPD below). Policy TC21 highlights the potential for the High Street to provide a north-south route for pedestrians and cyclists once the street has been de-trafficked. Policy TC26 actively encourages using vacant space above shops to provide residential accommodation. Policy TC27 is a general heritage policy. In addition to protecting, and where appropriate, enhancing listed buildings etc it also includes buildings which, although not listed, form an integral part of the Bedford Conservation Area and its setting, along with the street pattern, historic boundaries, spaces between buildings and the public realm.

Policy TC32 refers to the creation of high quality public realm including public art and interpretation. In November 2009, the Council unveiled a contemporary sculpture on Silver Street at its junction of High Street. The intention was to install an iconic piece of art at a key gateway within the town centre to act as a draw to visitors encouraging them to visit this part of the town centre thereby supporting businesses in the vicinity. The sculpture, entitled ‘Reflections of Bedford’, adds a vibrancy to the street scene and is based on the town’s lace making history, its multi cultural community and the fact that Silver Street was once where a ‘mint’ stood. In addition, a new wrought iron feature entrance sign has been erected at Castle Lane off High Street in December 2010 to connect the street with the Cultural Quarter. Policy TC33 states that the Council will expect new shop fronts and advertisements to be designed to the highest standards and that regard will be had to its published guidance (see below).

Bedford Local Plan 2030

The Council’s emerging Local Plan (Appendix 18) is currently the subject of examination. The date for likely adoption is February 2020. Of particular note within the emerging plan is Policy 15 – Bedford High Street, which reads as follows:

In considering planning applications in Bedford High Street weight will be given to the following objectives:

i. High quality and distinctive shop fronts and signage that has full regard to the architecture of the buildings. ii. Refurbishment of buildings which contribute positively to the character and heritage of Bedford. iii. Reoccupation of upper floors. iv. Improvements to the public realm. v. Reducing vehicular traffic. vi. Retaining active frontages at ground floor level which maintain the vitality of the street. vii. Avoiding the concentration of similar uses whose cumulative impact would be to the detriment of environmental quality, amenity or would increase the risk of anti-social behaviour.

Planning permission will not be granted for further changes of use at ground floor level to restaurants and cafés (class A3), drinking establishments (class A4), hot food takeaways (class A5) or nightclubs.

In relation to the point made above, planning will be granted to businesses that are not retail to increase the diversification of the high street. However, there is no incentive to turn it into a night-time dominated area as this will not increase the attractiveness nor footfall during the day.

A Strategy for High Street SPD (Adopted July 2010) ‘A Strategy for High Street’ SPD (Appendix 19) sets out a vision for Bedford High Street over the coming years to further the preservation and enhancement of the Conservation Area and ensure all improvements and modifications achieve the successful regeneration of High Street. The Vision and ten objectives are set out below: Vision: “To recreate the traditional heart of the town centre and maximise its townscape and heritage quality by the removal of all unnecessary general traffic, the creation of a high quality people friendly and safe public realm (where public art has a place), upgrading the built fabric, reintroducing attractive traditional shopfronts and regular markets, encouraging street cafés and restaurants, increasing upper floor residential and commercial use and creating life and vitality making it a destination for people of all ages at all times”. 1. Ensure the built fabric of the historic street is brought up to appropriate standards of repair to ensure its long term sustainability.

2. Enhance the townscape quality of the historic street with, for example, improved shopfronts and window frames, so that it becomes a street to enjoy in its own right. 3. Improve knowledge and understanding of the historic environment through interpretation, for example, through the use of plaques, interpretation boards, websites and other techniques, as appropriate. 4. Attract a range of niche shops which will improve the ‘retail offer’ and create an attractive destination within the town centre. 5. Stimulate a ‘café culture’ with street cafés and bars spilling onto the street attracting quality family and specialist restaurants creating a warm, welcoming and friendly environment for people of all ages at all times. 6. Encourage the use of the upper floors for a mixture of residential and commercial uses addressing the potential conflict with noise in relation to licensed premises and air quality issues. 7. Review the management of the night-time economy, reduce opportunities for crime/antisocial behaviour, improve community safety and raise the image and reputation of the street to be accessible for all. 8. Create an attractive pedestrian piazza that can become a niche retail destination in the town centre through the removal of unnecessary general traffic. 9. Strengthen the links including pedestrian and cycle routes between High Street and other parts of the town centre. 10. Develop attractive, safe and well managed car parks in the right location which enable people to come into, and use, the High Street 24 hours a day. There are significant inter-relationships between the objectives that will impact on the timeframe and deliverability of the strategy and its vision. These objectives are grouped under the main headings of Restoring the Existing Fabric, Uses and Activity and Access and Movement. Shopfronts and Advertisements in Conservation Areas SPD (2005) In 2005, the Council adopted a Supplementary Planning Document entitled 'Shopfronts and Advertisements in Conservation Areas' (Appendix 20) as part of the LDF scheme. The document was a response to the growth of unsympathetic shop fronts and advertisements that have resulted in a loss of quality and interest in many of Bedford’s historic streets. Although it provides generic guidance for all Conservation Areas, its principles apply particularly to the High Street. It establishes a set of design principles and good practice relating to the provision of high quality shopfronts and advertisements that respects the character both of individual premises and of the setting within the Conservation Area. Bedford Conservation Area Appraisal (Appendix 2 - adopted 18th March 2009) The Conservation Area Appraisal provides a clear account of the nature and special qualities of the Bedford Conservation Area. It is used as a technical document to provide both a sound basis for formulation of policies and to inform development control decisions. It has been used as evidence in numerous appeal decisions and the Planning Inspectorate recognise it as a material consideration in their decisions.

In line with best practice, the Appraisal splits the Conservation Area into 14 smaller ‘character sub-areas’. These have been identified as having common factors that have shaped their present form such as: historic development, land use and archaeological potential, townscape character, current uses and architectural qualities. The use of character sub-areas assists clearer definition of the ‘special interest’ of each particular sub- area. The location and assessment of each of the separate sub areas may be found in the Appraisal document at Appendix 2. It sets out the special interest of the Conservation Area as a whole and makes assessments of character, architectural qualities and general condition, including negative features, for each of the individual sub areas. Conservation Area Management Plan (adopted March 2011)

The Management Plan (Appendix 2) provides a clear strategy for the management of Bedford Conservation Area in a manner that will safeguard and enhance its character and appearance. It is used as a technical document to guide the Council’s approach to all works and matters considered to have a potential impact on the character of the Conservation Area. A series of management proposals are made under the following headings: Urban Grain; Historic Buildings and Archaeology; Buildings at Risk; Building Repair, Maintenance and Alteration; Boundary Enclosure; New Development; Shop Fronts, Canopies, Signs and Security Shutters; Highways, Traffic Management and Public Realm; Open Space and Trees. Design Framework for Public Realm Works in High Street (adopted March 2011) The Design Framework for Public Realm Works on Bedford High Street (Appendix 3) has been produced to support measures proposed in the Management Plan - to work towards a unified design approach to public realm works in the Conservation Area. Its principal aim is to ensure that any scheme for Bedford High Street maximises townscape and heritage quality both to tie in with the Council’s Strategy for High Street and that the Council’s approach to High Street is appropriate to the historic context and robust in terms of adopted guidance. Climate Change and Pollution SPD (Adopted December 2008) The purpose of this SPD (Appendix 21) is to give detailed guidance on the implementation of Policy CP26 in the Core Strategy & Rural Issues Plan in an effort to combat climate change and pollution. It sets out minimum standards that developments are expected to achieve and practical advice in terms of how to minimise pollution, incorporate sustainable energy conservation measures (including renewable energy), reduce carbon emissions, minimise waste and conserve water. It also encourages developers to consider adaptations to take account of future climate change and promotes a more sustainable approach to energy use.