20/10/2026
WILLOW GROVE PRIMARY SCHOOL CAR PARK, APPLICATION UNANIMOUSLY DEFERRED OVER CHILD SAFETY CONCERNS
A proposed 46 space car park, now reduced to 44 spaces, a missed planning deadline and some serious questions about how children will get to school safely.
Last night the Wixams Joint Development Control Committee met and considered the proposed car park next to Willow Grove Primary School.
Following a lengthy debate which I chaired, my colleague Cllr Graeme Coombes proposed that the application be deferred. Every member of the committee supported the motion.
The reason was simple. Children's safety must come first.
I went into the meeting open to supporting additional parking. However, the more questions we asked, the more apparent it became that the wider arrangements had not been properly thought through.
46 SPACES BECOME 44, ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING!
We learned that Central Bedfordshire Council's planning officers had raised a late objection to two parking spaces because vehicles would need to reverse across a cycle path.
Bedford Borough Council's officers had previously accepted those spaces.
It begs the question, why wasn't this obvious safety issue identified earlier?
And if this was missed, what else needs closer examination?
A PLANNING DEADLINE MISSED BY SEVEN MONTHS
Perhaps the most concerning revelation was about the original planning permission for Willow Grove Primary School to expand to four forms of entry, accommodating up to 840 pupils.
We heard that Bedford Borough Council had been given 18 months to bring forward proposals to address the school's parking arrangements.
That deadline expired in March 2026. We are now in October, and the required proposals have still not been brought forward.
The original school permission also refers to drop off and set down arrangements. So where is the properly considered solution?
This is a fundamental issue which should have been addressed long before tonight's meeting.
YOUNG CHILDREN NEED MORE THAN A PARKING SPACE
For younger pupils, dropping children at the school gate isn't an option. Parents need to park, walk their children to the classroom and hand them over to a teacher.
Now imagine a busy car park, vehicles manoeuvring, parents searching for spaces and young children walking between cars.
With a school potentially accommodating 840 pupils, we must consider what happens at the busiest times of the day.
I asked why the proposed car park couldn't be designated for staff parking, freeing up space within the school grounds and allowing existing parent drop off arrangements to continue.
Surely that deserves proper consideration?
SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT
I fully support encouraging children and families to walk or cycle to school.
But we must provide safe routes for them to do so.
Residents have repeatedly raised concerns about speeding vehicles on the surrounding roads.
The committee was pleased to hear that Urban & Civic intends to remove the existing chicanes and install traffic calming measures, including speed cushions, at its own expense.
That is welcome progress.
However, I asked what would happen to those measures when Bedford Borough Council eventually adopts the roads.
Nobody was able to give a clear answer.
We need proper pedestrian crossings, safe walking routes, sensible traffic management and arrangements which work for parents, staff and children.
These things should be planned together.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
I want to stress that the committee was not opposed to additional parking on this land.
Nor was our criticism directed at Urban & Civic, which has been working to bring forward the proposed car park and is also taking steps to address speeding concerns.
The issue is whether the overall arrangements are safe and whether the planning obligations have been properly addressed.
We need Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire Council, Willow Grove Primary
School and Urban & Civic around the table to agree a practical solution.
There is limited land available, so we must make the best use of what we have.
The application will return to a future committee meeting. With construction not expected to begin until March, I hope everyone involved will use the time available to resolve these concerns without unnecessarily delaying the project.
The committee was unanimous. We want a solution, but we want the right solution.
NOW I WANT TO HEAR FROM WIXAMS FAMILIES
I've spoken to parents and residents about the existing arrangements, and I would welcome more views.
• Do the current drop off and collection arrangements work for you?
• Would you support using the new car park for school staff instead?
• Where are the most dangerous places for children walking or cycling to school?
• What changes would make the biggest difference?
Please share your experiences in the comments, particularly if you use Willow Grove Primary School every day.
We have an opportunity to get this right, but it needs proper planning, joined up thinking and some clear answers from Bedford Borough Council.
Our children deserve safe routes to school, safe crossings and safe places to be dropped off and collected.
That is not an unreasonable expectation. It is the very least we should be delivering.
