Toddington plan could create 1,500 new jobs and improve facilities for HGV drivers

The Toddington Park plan includes a new energy and employment development on land at Junction 12, as well as improvements to the HGV parking and driver welfare facilities at Toddington Southbound Services.

IM Properties is hoping to include a mix of uses including industrial and logistics, data centres and solar energy generation.

Meanwhile, Toddington Southbound Services would be extended to provide more HGV and eHGV parking. Green space would also be created for community use on land to the west of the M1, as part of a package of landscaping and biodiversity measures, connecting to a network of recreational routes on the east side of the motorway.

Residents are now being invited to have their say on the plans before a planning application is submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council later this year.

The consultation runs from April 16 to May 6, and will include online information at www.imptoddingtonpark.co.uk as well as two drop in events at Harlington Parish Hall, Church Road.

These will take place from 2pm to 7pm on Friday, April 24 and 11am to 4pm on Saturday, April 25.

David Smith, director for planning and communities at IM Properties, said: “There’s a significant and strategic opportunity to do something really positive with this site and our effort is on designing a future employment and energy park of real quality. Talking to local people and stakeholders is an essential part of the design process because everyone has an opinion and, through discussion and understanding local priorities, we have the chance to adjust the proposals.

“We’re prioritising a high quality development that works for Central Bedfordshire. We’re also looking to bring in the benefit of the IM Properties ‘Sustainable Futures’ programme on social value plus the added value of working in collaboration with Moto. We’re hopeful that the community will engage with our emerging ideas and get involved with this consultation.”

The planning application is expected to be a hybrid application, establishing the principle of use for the site but with specific details for future buildings and precise layouts to be addressed later through reserved matters applications (subject to planning permission).