Making homes happen

RAF Online Engagement Events Stage 2 28, 30 November & 1 December Discussion Topics

Thank you for signing up for one of our Stage 2 online engagement events. We look forward to discussing the project with you further and hope you will find the session helpful and interesting.

During these Stage 2 Events we will be summarising the feedback that we received during Stage 1, discussing with you a set of Draft Development Principles that we have compiled in the light of what you told us, and to start discussing with you what these principles mean for how the development might be masterplanned.

1. Feedback and Key Themes from Stage 1 2. Emerging Development Principles 3. Shaping the Masterplan

The Stage 2 Events will have a similar format and feel to those held during Stage 1. We will be starting each event with a short presentation from the project team, before breaking out into smaller groups to discuss the Draft Development Principles and a number of questions and issues that flow from them.

In this Note, we are providing you with some advanced information on the matters that we are going to cover during the Stage 2 Events, so that you can give some thought in advance to comments you might wish to make during the break out sessions.

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1. Feedback and Key Themes from Stage 1

Set out below is a summary of thoughts and observations that were shared with us during the Stage 1 Events. We will want to check that we haven’t missed anything. If we have, please let us know.

Housing and the Built Environment Transport and Connectivity Well Designed and Built Well Connected • Number of homes • 13,000 vehicle limit on A600 • Modern design • Traffic speeds • Achieving a good mix • Road safety • Dwelling sizes • Poor bus service/connectivity • Quality of development • Congestion in villages • Affordability • Problems on A600 & A507 • Private gardens • Cumulative impact of developments • Parking provision • A507 roundabout • Density • Poor pedestrian/cycle provision • Self-build • Shared pedestrian/cycle ways don’t work • Connectivity • Access to southern half of base • Re-open railway line • Footways narrow and poorly lit • Flooding on Hitchin Road • MBDA

Services - Well Served Environmental - Environmentally Sensitive • Retention of sports pitches • Airfield • Scout Hut • Range of open spaces • Secondary school • Water table issues • Food shopping • Sustainable construction • Doctor’s surgery • Informal walking space • Church • Woodland • Broadband capacity • Site should be landscape led • Swimming pool • Ground conditions • Utilities capacity • Allotments • Need football pitches (Shefford Saints) • Leisure centre • Use of technology • Gym • Bowling alley • After school provision • Independent retailers

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Economy – Thriving Governance - Well Run • Ambitious • Respect and reflect • Skilled industries • Retain Henlow Village Community Centre • Incubator space • Business Improvement Districts • Hotel/conf centre for Officer’s Mess • Encourage people to volunteer • MBDA • Encourage participation • No warehousing • Community service charges • Retain hangar for heritage use • Different methods of engagement • Start-ups • R&D • Co-working space • Training facilities • Bookable meeting rooms • Craft workshops

Social and Cultural Equity – Fair for Everyone • Local amenities • Facilities for babies up to older people • Create a hub/reduce need to travel • Integration with Annington Homes • Activities for families • Think about the elderly • Activities for older children • Learn lessons from other developments • Integration with neighbouring • Needs to be inclusive villages • Restrict construction times • Art exhibitions in hangar • Affordable homes integrated in masterplan • Provide a village feel • Phasing and delivery • Village hall • Use of best practice in masterplanning • Retain mural on building 85

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2. Emerging Development Principles

Having reviewed the feedback from Stage 1 we have drafted 10 Development Principles, which we think capture the essence of what you have told us you would like the RAF Henlow development to achieve. We would like to hear your thoughts on these. They are important as, once agreed, they will be used to shape the masterplan for the site.

The 10 Draft Development Principles for RAF Henlow are as follows:

The development will be one that:

1. Fully integrates with Henlow Camp and Lower and helps create a new village identity and a new heart that gels the community

2. Provides a range of new community services and facilities meaning that people won’t need to travel to other towns and villages day to day

3. Respects and reflects the history of the base

4. Provides a variety of high-quality open spaces for sport, play and recreation

5. Is landscape-led and delivers enhancements in terms of biodiversity

6. Minimises the amount of traffic, and reduces the need for residents to travel by car, by improving footways, cycleways and bus services to / from the site and between the village, other villages and railway stations

7. Delivers a range of high-quality new homes, including genuinely affordable homes, that are well designed and sustainably constructed

8. Delivers a range of spaces for businesses to locate into and communal workspaces for 3. Shapingresidents the of the Masterplan village to use

9. DuringMakes the the breakout best use sessionsof technology we would including like to low talk energy with you use about and high what-speed the broadband Development Principles might actually mean for the masterplan. 10. Is designed applying best masterplanning practice and in the light of lessons learned from elsewhere

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For the purpose of this discussion we have grouped the Principles into five discussion topics.

Below are some questions on each topic for you to consider ahead of the breakout sessions:

Uses - Where should the new homes and workspace be located on the site?

- Should retail be incorporated on the site, and what uses should be included?

- Do you have any thoughts about where other uses should be located on the site?

Community - What community facilities should be on site, and which should be funded by off-site developer contributions?

- What are the key priorities for community facilities?

- Where should the local centre be located?

Heritage - What are your thoughts on how the listed buildings should be used?

- Do you have any views on what should be done with the historic buildings on site which aren’t listed?

Movement

- How should the site connect with Henlow Camp, and Station?

- How should cycle and bus links be improved in the local area?

- How should walking routes from the site link to the wider area?

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Open Space - What types of open space should be included on the site?

- Where should this open space be located on the site?

We very much look forward to seeing and hearing from you during our Stage 2 Events. If you have any questions you would like to ask beforehand, or have any technical issues with Zoom that you need help with, please do call us at 0800 169 6507 or email us at [email protected]

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