It’s all about the journey and the destination

We have recently secured planning permission on behalf of our client, Brickhill Homes, for a change of use, amendments and the discharge of conditions to enable the Local Centre at Marston Park, Marston Moretaine in Central Bedfordshire to be completed, ready for occupation. In itself, this may not be particularly newsworthy. However, it brings to a close a 13-year association I have had with the site spanning my time with both David Lock Associates (DLA) and now CTPL.

This time span started with work on the ill-fated Eco-towns programme in 2008-09, which got mired in national politics and put paid to what was widely regarded as the best site and submission at Marston Vale. I still have the scars from a public meeting held in Marston Moretaine village hall to discuss the Eco-town! Then in 2014, I was part of the team at DLA that secured a new permission for O&H Properties for residential and employment development and the local centre at Marston Park North. The land was then sold on before our client Brickhill Homes bought the local centre site from a national house-builder. Faced with competition from another neighbourhood centre nearby, our client struggled to find occupiers in 2019 but the Council insisted on the centre being provided to support the dwellings, school and commercial uses at Marston Park. Perseverance paid off and despite the pandemic, our client has secured firm interest from a dentist, estate agent and a cafe operator to occupy the ground floor with eight apartments on the first and second floors above.

The journey has been long but it has been worth it. The destination is also attractive. The building looks good. It should do, mind, as there is a strict Design Code in place [also prepared by DLA].