Transport: Marston Vale
House of Commons · Westminster Hall · 17 Jun 2026 · 9 speeches · Official Report
I beg to move, That this House has considered transport requirements in the Marston Vale. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I hope this can be a constructive debate. I am not here to bash the Government or to stand in the way of progress; I am here to open a dialogue with the Minister on behalf of the people I serve in Mid Bedfordshire. The Marston Vale in Mid Bedfordshire contains historical villages such as Cranfield, Marston Moretaine, Lidlington, Stewartby and Brogborough, as well as the new town of Wixams. It also sits at the heart of the Government’s growth agenda. The Universal UK resort will be a £50 billion boost to the UK’s economy, bringing millions of visitors every year to Kempston Hardwick. East West Rail, connecting the intellectual powerhouses of Oxford and Cambridge, will run along the Marston Vale line, stopping at Ridgmont, Lidlington and Stewartby. The merger of Cranfield University with King’s College London will bring further world-class research to the Marston Vale. The Marston Valley development will see 5,000 houses delivered across new villages between Marston Moretaine and Brogborough, and the Stewartby brickworks development will see 1,000 houses delivered on a brownfield site in Stewartby. The new town of Wixams will continue to be built out over the coming years, with thousands more houses and a new train station. The Government’s proposed new town at Milton Keynes and potential developments at Keepers Place and the...
I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. I very well understand the absolute devastation caused by bad management. As I said to him beforehand, I have similar problems in my constituency in relation to the Ballynahinch bypass. We must have robust Government involvement in prioritising infrastructure, and it must be managed, wherever it may be. We cannot have a piecemeal system; we must have central Government pushing it. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that is the clear way forward?
I agree entirely with the hon. Gentleman. With the scale of the change that we are discussing, particularly in my constituency and also in his, it is vital that the proposals are done with, not done to, the residents of the Marston Vale and Strangford, in order to retain public support. That means proper planning on transport infrastructure that considers the cumulative impact of these nationally significant projects on the local communities they will sit within. At the moment, I am afraid that is not happening, and public support is slipping away. Transport modelling for the various projects has been siloed and has failed to properly take into account the cumulative impact of proposals. For example, outline planning permission for the 5,000 houses at Marston Valley was granted on the basis of transport modelling that does not consider the impact of Universal UK, and Universal UK’s transport modelling does not consider the impact of the 5,000 houses at Marston Valley. East West Rail’s proposals will increase capacity to serve Universal, but they fail to properly plan for the impact that they will have on the local road infrastructure by severing local communities. For example, to increase the number of trains on the line in response to Universal UK, East West Rail plans to close a number of level crossings in the Marston Vale and leave others with significant downtime throughout the day. That will have an enormous impact on local communities, effectively bisecting the...
It is always a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson) on securing this timely debate, and I thank him for the way in which he made the case on behalf of his constituents. I also acknowledge his efforts to support the expansion of forest land in the Marston Vale. There is significant opportunity in the Marston Vale, but it is held back by pressing transport challenges. Many communities rely on cars because public transport options do not yet provide the connectivity that people need. The Marston Vale line has historically suffered from low frequency and reliability issues, while congestion on key routes such as the A421 continues to impact daily journeys. I know that bus services can be limited or fragmented and active travel routes are not yet sufficient for many residents. Those deficiencies affect access to work, education, healthcare and wider opportunities. They undermine growth in an area that sits at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor, which is a priority for the Government. How we respond to the transport requirements of the Marston Vale is central to the success of the corridor as a whole, and to allow the constituents of Mid Bedfordshire to take full advantage of its growth potential. East West Rail is fundamental to our response to the Marston Vale’s transport needs. The project was designed to tackle many of the issues that the hon. Member raised while driving...
I thank the Minister for briefly outlining what the £1.3 billion of taxpayers’ money will be spent on. My residents will be relieved to hear that Wixams station is expected to open in time for Universal. The Minister also talked about targeted investment in the local road network. When the detail becomes available, will she commit to writing to me with more information about what public money will be spent and where, and what impact the Government expect it to have?
I will ensure that my colleague, the roads Minister, writes to the hon. Gentleman with further information on those plans. Importantly, we are also working to ensure that the resort is fully integrated into the wider transport system, particularly through East West Rail and its new station at Stewartby. This will allow visitors and employees to access the site by rail from across the region and beyond, reducing pressure on roads and promoting more sustainable travel patterns. We are clear that a development of this scale, alongside other development opportunities and potential new towns at Tempsford and Milton Keynes, must act as a catalyst for a high-quality, integrated transport network for the Marston Vale that benefits residents as well as visitors. Although strategic investment is essential, meeting the transport requirements of the Marston Vale also depends on improving everyday local journeys, and I recognise the concerns that the hon. Member raised on behalf of local residents. That is why the Department is working closely with Bedford borough council, neighbouring authorities and England’s Economic Heartland to develop a transport opportunity plan for the area. This work is focused on delivering a more coherent and connected local network, enhancing local bus services, improving walking and cycling routes, and ensuring better links between communities, stations and key destinations. We recognise that the current provision is not sufficient, particularly for those...
The Minister talked about bringing together local councils-Central Bedfordshire council and Bedford borough council-and England’s Economic Heartland. One of my asks was that we also bring together Universal UK, O&H, which is a significant developer of 5,000 houses in the area, and East West Rail, to ensure that local infrastructure is integrated. Would she consider my proposal-if she cannot answer directly now, she can take it away-that those stakeholders also get around the table? They are developers of significant infrastructure in the area and I think they also need to be around the table.
The hon. Member makes a really good point about the importance of making sure that stakeholders are involved in these conversations, and I will certainly take his proposal away and talk to colleagues in the Department. The transport requirements of the Marston Vale are clear: better connectivity, greater reliability and a system that supports sustainable growth. Through East West Rail, targeted investment linked to the Universal development and a renewed focus on local transport integration, this Government are committed to meeting those needs. My departmental colleagues and I will be happy to continue engaging with the hon. Member, his constituents and nearby colleagues as we take these important investments forward. Question put and agreed to.
Sitting suspended.