Community Campaign — Kempston Rural

Stop the 420-Home
Development.

Kempston Rural is a delicate ecosystem and a small community of ~225 homes. A proposed development off Wood End Lane & Home Road would almost treble our size, destroying our countryside forever.

Two planning applications for this site have already been submitted in the past — both have been refused. But developers has not given up.

77 people have already
registered their objection.

We are not anti-development.

We recognise housing targets exist. We support appropriate, proportionate growth. A modest infill development of 20–30 homes would perfectly align with the character and capacity of Kempston Rural.

But 420 homes is an invasion of scale.

Open farmland at Kempston Rural — the proposed development site

Green fields viewed through hedgerow trees

Village road with 30mph signs at Kempston Rural

The fields and lanes of Kempston Rural — all at risk from the proposed 420-home development.

The Proposed Site

See exactly what land is at stake.

The highlighted area shows the agricultural land off Wood End Lane and Home Road earmarked for development. This is open farmland sitting at the heart of Kempston Rural's countryside buffer.

Two applications have already been submitted for this site and both were refused. The developer continues to pursue it. The scale of the footprint makes clear why this community fought back — and why we must remain ready.

2 Applications
Refused

420 Proposed
Homes

~225 Existing
Homes

Aerial map view of Kempston Rural showing the proposed development land highlighted

Proposed development land highlighted — aerial view of Kempston Rural.

Key Planning Concerns

The material planning reasons why this site is unsuitable.

Traffic & Safety

All traffic feeds into Gibraltar Corner. This could generate 700–900+ additional vehicle movements per day on roads not built for it.

Disproportionate Scale

No shop, no pub, no GP, and limited transport. Adding 420 homes to ~225 existing is not organic growth — it is structural transformation.

Wildlife & Biodiversity

Fields and hedgerows act as wildlife corridors. Large-scale development will fracture these habitats permanently.

Flood Risk & Drainage

Replacing permeable farmland with concrete significantly increases surface runoff. Rural ditch capacity is a serious concern.

Loss of Rural Character

The site is open agricultural countryside, not brownfield. It will remove the green buffer and urbanise the landscape.

Cumulative Pressure

Wootton has doubled in size. Planning must consider the cumulative impact on the area, not treat this application in isolation.

The proposed site

This is what we
stand to lose.

Open farmland, mature hedgerows, and quiet rural lanes — all threatened by a development nearly three times the size of the existing community.

What You Can Do Now

Submit individually

Write your own personalised letter. Individual objections carry far more weight than petitions.

Make it personal

Planning officers value local detail. Add your observations about traffic, drainage, or impact on your life.

Focus on planning

Traffic, scale, and ecology are material considerations. Property values or preference are not.

Rally neighbours

The sheer number of individual objections is recorded in the officer's report. Every voice matters.

Stop the 420-HomeDevelopment.