Bedford Borough Council has unanimously voted to issue a resolution to grant planning approval (subject to S106) to Bellway Homes and Gallagher Developments for 592 new homes, designed by McBains, at Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire.
Three linked planning applications were submitted towards the end of last year to consolidate three residential parcels into one cohesive scheme. The new designs seek to deliver a new mix of property types to better suit market demand since the time of the original separate approvals, which date back over the past decade, in order to deliver a new cohesive neighbourhood with a clear sense of place; designed to respond to the important setting of two listed airship hangers.
McBains' proposal comprises 592 dwellings across the Eastern Land Parcel (ELP), South Eastern Land Parcel (SELP) and Eastern Land Parcel RM (ELP RM) parcels of the former Cardington Airfield.
The RAF Cardington site is home to two Grade II listed aircraft hangars, originally built to house airships in the 1930s. The giant, iconic structures are now frequently used by the film, TV and music industries to house sets, production offices and workshops, as they offer some of the largest indoor spaces in Europe; with big budget films such as Batman Begins, Pan, Dark Knight, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows all having used Cardington studios.
The homes will be a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, together with two-, three- and four-bedroom houses. The proposed buildings are up to 3 storeys in height, with a variety of eaves lines incorporated to help promote variety in the streetscene. The bulk of dwellings are two storeys, with two-and-a-half and three storey units used occasionally for placemaking purposes.
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