Since the consultation was launched on 24 February, more than 800 people have viewed the consultation materials at the Marston Valley website, including the Development Brief which sets out the vision for the development.

O&H is looking for input from local people on how well the vision as described in the Development Brief responds to Central Bedfordshire Council’s Policy SA2 and priorities for the Marston Vale.

This stage in the planning process is designed to provide the Council with technical guidance to help it decide in the future if planning applications for the development of the Marston Vale New Villages will satisfy the policies in the Local Plan. Therefore, this particular consultation is not focused on the details of O&H’s outline planning application submitted in May 2018. These specific proposals will be subject to further formal consultations and community engagement later in the planning process.

A spokesperson for O&H Land said: “We are still keen to hear from as many people as possible about their views on the Development Brief. We are very pleased with the level of local engagement so far and by extending our consultation period from three to five weeks we genuinely hope that we can give many more people the opportunity to respond.”

Full details of the Development Brief, Policy SA2 and the consultation questionnaire are available on the Marson Valley website. For those without access to the Internet, a posted copy of the consultation documents is also available via Freephone 0800 038 9831.

The consultation on the Development Brief will now run until Wednesday 31 March 2021.