We have ambitious plans for Biggleswade. Plans to transform and enhance the area.
In August 2019, we secured £70 million of central government funding (Housing Infrastructure Fund) to support our plans.
This investment will help fund four important schemes:
- upgrading power capacity, allowing for ever-increasing demand and business growth
- supporting new secondary school places
- creating a transport interchange at the train station
- building a bridge to replace the Green Wheel bridleway which crosses the East Coast Main Line
This significant investment will bring huge benefits to the existing community and support the planned housing growth of around 3,000 homes to the east of the town.
We are working closely with the government’s housing delivery agency Homes England and our partners on these projects.
A new Garden Community is planned to the East of Biggleswade, backed by the government’s Garden Communities Programme.
What ‘transformational growth’ is happening in Biggleswade?
Central Bedfordshire is at the heart of the Oxford - Cambridge Arc, playing a vital role in delivering economic and housing growth. 20,000 new homes are planned over the next 20 years in addition to the 23,000 homes that are already allocated or have planning permission.
In Biggleswade, 3,000 new homes are set to be delivered in the next 15 years. Biggleswade is less than an hour from London, 30 minutes from Cambridge, Luton and Bedford and sited directly on the A1. This makes Biggleswade attractive to people looking to create their family home in a quality environment, and for companies looking for an affordable site within an ideal national transport radius.
However, to support further housing and commercial growth the town needs significant infrastructure investment.
The successful Housing Infrastructure Fund bid means we can support new and existing communities in Biggleswade by ensuring they have the transport, schools and power to sustain the proposed new homes and development.
What is the Housing Infrastructure Fund?
The Housing Infrastructure Fund is a government capital grant programme of up to £5.5 billion, for new physical infrastructure. It will unlock sites in the areas of greatest housing demand and help to deliver thousands of new homes in England.
Funding is being awarded to local authorities on a highly competitive basis. We submitted a detailed business case bid for the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) in March 2019. Full funding was announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 17 August 2019.
More information on HIF is available on the GOV.UK website
How did Biggleswade secure funding?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and its housing delivery agency Homes England assessed our bid on its value for money, deliverability, and strategic approach.
The bid was prepared by us, working with:
- Biggleswade Town Council
- Network Rail
- UK Power Networks
- Biggleswade Schools
- Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charities
- UK Regeneration
- Hallam Land
- Highways England
- Homes England
- Infrastructure and Projects Authority
How much will it cost to deliver the infrastructure?
Approximately £120 million of investment, of which £69.6 million is from HIF, is required to deliver the four infrastructure schemes.
How much benefit will the projects bring?
The entire Biggleswade programme, including the private sector investment to bring forward the 3,000 homes, will deliver a £1 billion investment in a key part of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.
When will the infrastructure be delivered?
We bid for funding ahead of housing being built to ensure essential infrastructure is in place ahead of town growth. The infrastructure will be delivered in phases and by 2024/25.
When and where are the 3,000 new homes going to be built?
We have identified 13 housing sites in Biggleswade and the surrounding area which can provide about 3,000 new homes. Several sites already have outline planning permission for over 2,000 homes and other sites are included in the Local Plan.
These homes will be built in phases over the next 15 years. All will need to satisfy planning conditions.
How can local companies bid for work to support the delivery of this housing and infrastructure?
We want local and regional businesses to tender for public sector contracts in Central Bedfordshire. Tender opportunities can be found on our website.
We will work with other organisations, including Network Rail and UK Power Networks to deliver the infrastructure.
We will engage with landowners and developers of the proposed housing in Biggleswade to discuss how local suppliers can be involved in these schemes.
When will we receive the money and by when does it need to be spent?
We have signed a Grant Determination Agreement which outlines the terms and conditions of the HIF grant, including receipt of funds.
We have agreed a spending profile and key milestones for all four HIF funded projects and are monitoring progress against these.
HIF funding needs to be spent by March 2024.
Will there be a future bidding round of HIF?
As far as we are aware, there are no plans for a second bidding round of HIF.
How will the expenditure be monitored?
We have signed up to an Assurance Framework which requires regular reporting to Homes England on the progress of our project. The Assurance Framework also includes an annual performance review and a robust approach to monitoring and evaluation.