We are working closely with Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation after agreeing a collaborative approach to the construction of both the new railway alignment at Bedford St Johns and the hospital’s new Elective Care Hub.
The positive outcome means both organisations are committed to ensuring that East West Rail and the Trust’s vital healthcare investment at Bedford Hospital can move forward together.
The consensus follows a meeting between both parties after we confirmed we had withdrawn our temporary holding objection to the Trust’s proposed planning application for its Elective Care Hub in Britannia Road.
Our objection was not a challenge to the development itself, but simply a precaution focused on the geographic location of the hospital trust’s proposals and a small potential overlap with our plans for a multi-storey car park.
With these issues now successfully resolved, both the Elective Care Hub and East West Rail can be delivered successfully alongside one another for the benefit of Bedford communities. This includes working with the hospital trust to minimise disruption for staff, patients and visitors, and maintain safe access to the hospital during construction work. It will ensure the new multi-storey car park will be ready for use before construction work starts on the site of the hospital’s existing car park.
We are currently undertaking traffic modelling work and developing a clear strategy for the sequencing and phasing of construction works in relation to the construction of the new alignment and station at Bedford St Johns, which will ensure there is no reduction of car parking spaces during construction or after the work is complete.
We also plan to work with the hospital trust to review alternative construction routes to Bedford St Johns station to ease works traffic around the hospital, as well as exploring opportunities to align key work phases with the hospital, such as integrating utility works, which will reduce costs and disruption for both organisations.
An indicative illustration of the relocated Bedford St Johns station