1 Great Barford Neighbourhood PlanSurvey Results December 2016

2 About You Question 1.1 About You Question 1.2 We askedWhat is your post code? The survey respondents all lived or worked within the village POST CODE % MK44 _ _ _ 100% About You Question 1.2 We asked What is your gender (male / female) ? You said GENDER NUMBER % Male 112 47 Female 126 53 What this means The balance of male / female responding to our survey is roughly equal

3 About You Question 1.3 We asked What is your age ? You saidNUMBER % Under 16 1 0.4 16 to 24 0.0 25 to 39 28 11.9 40 to 64 117 49.6 65 to 79 78 33.1 80+ 12 5.1 What this means The majority of the respondents are middle aged and over

4 About You Question 1.4 We askedDo you Live / Work / Own a business / go to school in Great Barford? You said WHERE YOU . . . NUMBER % Live 229 82.4 Work 25 9.0 Own a Business 22 7.9 Go to School 2 0.7 What this means The majority of the respondents live in the village

5 About You Question 1.5 We askedHow long have you been in Great Barford You said RANGE OF YEARS NUMBER % Less than one year 6 2.5 1 to 4 46 19.4 5 to 10 47 19.8 More than 10 138 58.2 What this means The majority of the respondents have lived in the village for more than 10 years

6 HOUSING Question 2.1 We asked You saidPart 1: What type of property do you currently live in? Part 2: What type of property would you like when you next move house? We asked You said Type of Property  Currently Flat/Apartment 0.44% Bungalow 14.41% 1-2 Bed House 4.37% 3-4 Bed House 66.81% 5+ Bed House 12.23% Rented Housing 1.31% Sheltered Housing 0.00% Retirement Housing Care Home I don’t live in Great Barford Other Type of Property   Future Flat/Apartment 0.60% Bungalow 32.53% 1-2 Bed House 7.23% 3-4 Bed House 33.13% 5+ Bed House 10.24% Rented Housing Sheltered Housing 1.81% Retirement Housing 10.84% Care Home I don’t live in Great Barford 0.00% Other 1.20% More than half the people who responded to the questionnaire currently live in 3 or 4 bedroom houses, and in the future almost a third would like to live in a bungalow, almost a third be in a 3-4 bedroom house. There will be a growing demand for retirement homes. What this means

7 18% Under 16 years old 82% Over 16 years old HOUSING Question 2.2We asked How many people living in your house are over/under 16 years of age? You said 18% Under 16 years old 82% Over 16 years old More households who responded to our questionnaire were occupied by people over 16 years old. What this means

8 HOUSING Question 2.3 We askedWhat type of housing do you think Great Barford needs in the future? You said KEY TO COLOURS Need a lot more Need a few more About right Too many already What this means There is a wide range of housing types that are needed for the future and of those more bungalows, retirement houses, sheltered houses and eco houses are needed.

9 HOUSING Question 2.4 What style of buildings would you like to see built in Great Barford? We asked You said KEY TO COLOURS YES MAYBE NO What this means The most popular style of building is two storey, eco friendly, period, or modern style and there should be a mix of both small and large gardens.

10 HOUSING Question 2.5 We asked How should these new houses be grouped?You said 4% One large site - up to 500 houses 24% A few medium sites - 50 to 250 houses 72% Lots of small sites - fewer than 50 houses The preference is for developments of fewer than 50 houses in Great Barford. What this means

11 WORK Question 3.1 We asked Where do you work? You said What this meansPlace Not working / in Education 70 Local Town 68 From Home 33 Major City 18 In the Village 17 Other 14 Abroad 3 What this means Most people work outside the village.

12 WORK Question 3.2 We asked If you work, what type of work do you do?You said Type Retired 63 Other 42 Office / Clerical 38 Retail 16 Health Care 14 Transport 13 Science & Industry 11 Agriculture 9 Construction 5 Education (student) 3 Entertainment What this means A large proportion of respondents are retired, with a good spread amongst other occupations.

13 WORK Question 3.3 If you run a business in the village how many people work for the company? We asked You said Number of People 1 2-5 6-10 11-20 20+ 16 4 2 3 What this means Most people that work for themselves in the village work alone.

14 WORK Question 3.4 We asked As an employer, what are your main concerns about the effects on your business as a result of any expansion of Great Barford? You said KEY TO COLOURS YES MAYBE NO Yes No Maybe Competition 6 12 2 Traffic and Parking 14 Broadband Speeds 11 1 Crime 7 Other What this means Competition is not feared, but traffic, e-communication and crime are seen as potential problems.

15 Provide better parking areas Promote small business units WORK Question 3.5 What can the Parish Council do to help business and employment in Great Barford? We asked You said Provide better parking areas Promote small business units Provide serviced office space High speed broadband installation More units for beauty, garage etc to encourage people to work in the village Increase population Provide units for small business

16 WORK Question 3.6 What work space does the Neighbourhood Plan need to support for business use? We asked You said (please mark each) Yes No Maybe Large Factory Units 3 153 Light Industrial Units 51 70 Shops and Retail Space 74 52 Office Space 38 63 59 Serviced Offices 33 87 37 Warehouse & Storage 9 125 20 Restaurant & Catering 65 40 66 Hotel & Tourism 34 62 64 Other 8 KEY TO COLOURS YES MAYBE NO What this means No large factories or warehousing are wanted by the majority of replies, but mixed response to the rest.

17 No local opportunities for young people other than the village shop. WORK Question 3.7 We asked Do you have any further Comments on Employment issues? You said No local opportunities for young people other than the village shop. Needs improved transport (public) and/or service roads and parking to match. Need small business units. Need better broadband. We need more in Great Barford as we all know how much different Great Barford will be in 10 years time. As far as I can tell there are no employment issues in the village. Many residents work in Bedford or Sandy and a large proportion are retired. Expand the brown field sites to accommodate business needs. It will cause more traffic congestion. Business units built away from houses and schools etc. Not important for employment if transport links are good. Support small businesses up to 10 employees. This is a residential village not a workplace. I do not think employment will be easy to increase and we should stay as a village where people travel to work.

18 Part 4 – YOUR SUGGESTED DEVELOPMENT MAP BUSINESSWe asked: Where do you think any new Business developments should be built within the Parish of Great Barford? You said: What this means: The favoured areas for any future Business development are to the North and East of the village.

19 Part 4 – YOUR SUGGESTED DEVELOPMENT MAP GREEN SPACEWe asked: Where do you think we should nominate any Green Space within the Parish of Great Barford? You said: What this means: The favoured areas would put a green belt around the current built-up part of the village, with a preference towards the South-Eastern end.

20 Part 4 – YOUR SUGGESTED DEVELOPMENT MAP HOUSINGWe asked: Where do you think any new Housing developments should be built within the Parish of Great Barford? You said: What this means: The favoured areas for any future Housing development would enlarge the current built-up village envelope, with preference to in-fill the North East between Roxton Road and Addingtons Road.

21 Part 4 – YOUR SUGGESTED DEVELOPMENT MAP MIXED USEWe asked: Where do you think any Mixed Use developments should be built within the Parish of Great Barford? You said: What this means: The favoured areas for any future Mixed Use development are adjoining the Northern part of the built-up village envelope.

22 VILLAGE FACILITIES Question 5.1 We asked You saidWhich of the village facilities do you and your family use? You said People replying "Often" or "Sometimes" People replying "Rarely" or "Never" NUMBER PERCENTAGE Post Office 226 94% Allotments 172 72% Village Shop 225 Mobile Library 170 71% Doctors Surgery 186 78% Bowls Club 159 66% Village Hall 141 59% Jordan’s Centre 152 63% The Anchor 139 58% Schools 136 57% The Golden Cross 134 56% Fish & Chip Van 128 53% Butcher 118 49% Play Areas 124 52% Playing Fields 92 38% Churches 123 51% 84 35% 114 48% 79 33% 87 36% 77 32% 80 57 24% 75 31% 39 16% 64 27% 30 13% 41 17% 23 10% 3 1% 20 8% 2 THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE REPLYING TO THE SURVEY WAS 240 What this means The results clearly show that the post office and village shop are well used by the vast majority of respondents, and never used by very few. Other well used facilities were the doctors surgery, village hall and pubs, although about one third of respondents rarely or never use either pub. It seems that "membership" facilities, such as the bowls club or scout group, are not so well used by people outside of these organisations. Feedback suggests that the facilities would be better used if they were made more available to residents and maybe advertised themselves with ‘open days’.

23 VILLAGE FACILITIES Question 5.2 We asked You saidWhat additional facilities would you like to see? You said NUMBER PERCENTAGE "Other" suggestions included: Recycle Facilities 134 56% Tearoom / coffee shop Dental Practice 89 37% Link to Bedford-Sandy cycleway Supermarket 70 29% Improved medical centre Swimming Pool 68 28% This seems to be a collection of facilities more suited to a small town than a village Sports Club House 66 None of the above is necessary Youth Centre 65 27% Move current doctors into medical centre it village expands further Multi-use Sports Pitch 63 26% A push for a multi use medical practice on Linden Homes Site (GP Dentist Optician) Gym 56 23% Cafe/tearoom/coffee shop (incorporate into development) Garage (fuel / service) 53 22% Play parks catered to under 5s Tennis Club 49 20% Easy and safe access to the cycle path along the river - the present route uneven and unsuitable Secondary School 41 17% Opticians 39 16% Other 35 15% THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE REPLYING TO THE SURVEY WAS  240 What this means Over half of the responses agree that recycling facilities should be provided in the village. However, other suggested facilities were less well supported and not considered necessary by many. There were a number of other suggestions such as a tearoom or coffee shop, swimming pools and better play areas for the under 5s, and perhaps further consultation is needed to see if there is any support for these facilities.

24 TRANSPORT Question 6.1 We askedWhich of the following methods of transport do you use? You said (please mark each) Often Sometimes Rarely Never Car 223 9 1 Walking 163 34 3 X5 Coach 30 77 56 42 Train 23 91 45 27 Taxi 8 84 59 32 Bicycle 31 71 38 49 Local Bus 115 Boat / Canoe 14 119 Motorbike 10 147 Ivel Sprinter Community Bus 7 6 154 Mobility Scooter 4 161 Other What this means As expected the car is the most popular form of transport but we were pleasantly surprised how often other modes of transport are being used.

25 TRANSPORT Question 6.2 We askedIf you commute, where do you travel to? You said Often Sometimes Rarely Bedford 100 27 4 St Neots 40 47 11 London 22 46 29 Milton Keynes 24 50 20 Cambridge 15 53 26 Biggleswade 30 41 Sandy 34 33 23 Great Barford 49 2 1 Other 8 We were surprised to find that although Bedford was the most popular destination, people were regularly travelling as far as Loughborough, Peterborough & Northampton. Future improvements of the main trunk links of the A1, A421 and A428 will be very important to the residents of Great Barford and in particular the "Black Cat" roundabout bottleneck. Better links to the main rail stations could reduce commuters dependence on the car for the first part of their journey. What this means

26 TRANSPORT Question 6.3 We asked How do you usually get there? You saidOften Sometimes Rarely Car 157 4 Train 23 41 16 Bus 31 19 Taxi 8 26 Bicycle 9 12 20 Lift Share 2 11 Motorbike Other 3 1 Unsurprisingly, the car was the most popular way to get to work. It is imperative when new developments are considered that both traffic volume and adequate off road parking places are provided. What this means

27 TRANSPORT Question 6.4 In your opinion, what will be the most important transport issues if there are significantly more new houses built in Great Barford? We asked You said Volume of traffic through the village 204 Parking 159 Speed of vehicles through the village 150 School run congestion 144 Road maintenance 125 Safe routes for school children 107 Traffic calming 79 Pedestrian crossings 75 Footpaths 71 Cycle paths 61 Public transport to station 41 Bridleways 14 Other 13 We can look closely at the opportunities created by development to change the pattern of traffic movement around the village. The Parish Council will be able to use this information in discussions with the Borough Council to seek general highway and byway improvements. What this means

28 PRIORITIES Question 7.1 We askedWhat should the priorities be for the future? You said Protection of the countryside 146 Medical and care facilities 141 High speed Broadband network 133 Parking 109 Safe cycle and pedestrian routes 98 Facilities and services for young people 80 Land for recreation 72 Mobile phone coverage 70 Improved sewage system 56 Leisure Facilities 55 Improved road layout Improved flood defences 53 A low cost community energy scheme 48 Green energy supplies (wind, water or solar) 47 Workspace for local jobs and businesses 40 Sports club house 21 Other 7 The neighbourhood plan can include policies to ensure that new development protects the countryside and the rural environment and help address other existing and future issues. The results of this survey and your comments will help us to focus our efforts on the most important issues for the community. What this means

29 LEISURE AND WELLBEING Question 8.1 We asked You saidHow important are these factors to the quality of life in Great Barford? You said People replying "Very Important" People replying "Not Important" NUMBER PERCENTAGE Low crime rate 212 88% Sense of community 8 3% Open/green/riverside spaces 208 87% Local wildlife 6 Friendly safe environment 205 85% 4 2% Rural atmosphere 203 Village facilities 171 71% 2 1% 156 65% 1 0% Other THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE REPLYING TO THE SURVEY WAS 240 What this means All of the factors identified - low crime rate, open spaces, friendly safe environment, rural atmosphere, wildlife, village facilities and sense of community - are very important to the vast majority of respondents. Very few viewed these factors as not important.

30 LEISURE AND WELLBEING Question 8.2 We asked You said What this meansDo you use any of the following leisure facilities? You said People replying "Often" or "Sometimes" People replying "Rarely" or no response NUMBER PERCENTAGE Country Walks 198 83% Cricket Club 238 99% Village Hall 157 65% Football Club 232 97% Cycle Tracks 117 49% Bowls Club 209 87% Bridleways 99 41% Outdoor Gym 207 86% Play Areas 89 37% Jordan’s Centre 202 84% Playing Fields 86 36% 154 64% 38 16% 151 63% 33 14% 141 59% 31 13% 123 51% 8 3% 83 35% Other (please write) 7 42 18% 2 1% THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE REPLYING TO THE SURVEY WAS 240 What this means Access to the countryside via the public rights of way network, bridleways and cycle tracks are the leisure facilities most used by respondents. Other facilities were also important to them including the Village Hall, playing fields and play areas. Areas not generally seen as accessible to all (membership clubs and the Jordans Centre) were rarely used by respondents.

31 LEISURE AND WELLBEING Question 8.3 We asked You said What this meansHow could these [the leisure facilities in Q8.2] be improved? You said Suggestions categorised or quoted when unique NUMBER CYCLE TRACKS ADDITIONS OR IMPROVEMENTS 12 BETTER SIGNAGE/ MAPS AND MAINTENANCE OF FOOTPATHS AND BRIDLEWAYS 9 DOG BIN 2 MORE MAINTENANCE/KEEPING CLEAN OF VILLAGE/ LITTER BINS ACCESS FOR ALL SPORTING FACILITIES NOT EMPHASIS ON ONE. LEISURE COMPLEX (INCORPORATING CRICKET/FOOTBALL/BOWLS/TENNIS ETC) PAVEMENT TO BLUNHAM TREES AND HEDGES TO HIDE BYPASS AND INDUSTRY CHEAPER HIRING OF VILLAGE HALL IMPROVING LIGHTING OF SCHOOL LANE MAINTAIN PLAY AREAS BETTER CREATE A PICNIC AREA ON SOUTH SIDE OF BRIDGE VILLAGE HALL ACOUSTICS VERY POOR, LIVE CHOIRS AND BANDS ARE GREATLY HANDICAPPED WHEN USING THE STAGE LOCAL PLANNED ROUTE WORKS PRODUCED OPEN DAY FOR JORDANS CLOSE, FOOTBALL, CRICKET AND BOWLS CLUB MORE COMMUNITY BASED SPORTS EVENTS THAT ARE OPEN TO ALL AGES What this means Reflecting the usage statistics (answers to Q8.2) most suggestions for improvement relate to cycle tracks and footpaths (although relatively few to the Village Hall). Other suggestions are interesting.

32 A SHARED VISION Question 9.1 & 9.2 We asked You said What this means9.1 What are your 3 favourite things about the village? 9.2 What 3 things do you dislike about the village? You said "Favourite things" - by category "Dislikes" - by category NUMBER Community 105 Traffic related issues 119 Amenities (church/ school/ pub/ shop/ drs.) 88 Parking 65 Outdoor space/ countryside/ rural location 86 Too much/ inappropriate development 26 Location Lack of amenities (shops, cafes etc) 21 River 61 Roads, verges, maintenance, litter 15 Village feel 51 Health services - doctor, no dentist 11 Village size - no need to make it bigger 41 Broadband speeds/ mobile reception X5/ transport 14 Dogs 9 Village events 8 Community spirit Other 22 35 541 321 THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE REPLYING TO THE SURVEY WAS 240 What this means Respondents had more "favourite things" than "dislikes" about Great Barford. Significantly more respondents were happy with aspects such as the community spirit and amenities of the village, than disliked the lack of them. The major exception related to village traffic and parking which, taken together, seems to be an issue troubling most respondents. The numbers favouring the present village feel and size, and those disliking recent development amount to a significant minority.

33 What next? Thank you for visiting the exhibition. As you have seen in this exhibition, the Neighbourhood Plan Committee has collated the information received as a result of your questionnaire responses. The next steps will be: To examine the responses to the questionnaire and use them to identify key themes and issues To develop a vision and aims for the parish To formulate policies and prepare a draft plan Once a draft plan has been prepared we will: Consult with the community on the draft plan Re-consider content of plan following that consultation Submit the finalised plan to the Borough Council for independent examination Thank you for visiting the exhibition. We hope you have found it informative. If you have further feedback or would like to get involved, please speak to one of the Neighbourhood Plan team here today, identifiable by their badges.