Sharnbrook residents call on housing developers to honour goodwill commitment after 5 MONTHS of disruption

It’s over whether a goodwill gesture should be honoured by the developers following over five months of disruption.

The disgruntled residents live in Lower Furlong – a small cul-de-sac of 13 homes sitting directly opposite the entrance works serving the 500-home former Hill Farm development; now being marketed as Sharnbrook Park by Bellway and Templars Park by Barratt Redrow.

From early December 2025 through to May 2026, residents say they have endured repeated disruption from roadworks, weekend road closures, heavy construction vehicles on weekdays and most weekends and denial of access or constant access uncertainty.

And they claim this was no ordinary roadworks inconvenience either. Because Lower Furlong is a cul-de-sac, any restriction at the entrance affected whether residents are able to safely enter or leave their homes.

Residents’ WhatsApp records describe repeated problems such as missed deliveries, bin collection issues, concerns over medication delivery and worries about emergency vehicle access.

There were also serious fears about road safety during the temporary traffic arrangements, including reports of vehicles jumping red lights and a collision involving a resident’s car.

Residents say they engaged with Bellway and Barratt Redrow and understood the developers would provide a goodwill gesture in recognition of the disruption.

This included:

Improving the Lower Furlong entrance area, including replacing or softening the existing railings

Creating a safer, more visually acceptable entrance treatment (subject to highway visibility and approval)

But they were told, via the parish council, that Bellway would not carry out the requested entrance improvement works or propose any alternative.

And both Bellway and Barratt Redrow have told us they have “no legal obligation or authority to carry out works to the road” as it falls to Bedford Borough Council.

Lower Furlong resident Nick James said: “What has upset residents is not just the refusal. It is the tone of the rejection. After months of disruption, the developers appear to have walked away from the spirit of that commitment.”

“This has felt like a total one-way street. The developers gained the access infrastructure needed for their major housing development. Lower Furlong was left with the disruption, the dirt and a neglected entrance area with dead planting.”

Residents have asked the homebuilders to reconsider their position and propose a fair and practical reparation package.

Mr James added: “Lower Furlong residents have been both patient and constructive. We accepted development works had to be carried out. What we cannot accept is being expected to absorb months of disruption in silence, while goodwill appears to be extended elsewhere and then denied to Lower Furlong, even though residents continue to be affected.

In a joint statement from Bellway and Barratt Redrow, it said: “The roadworks that took place at the joint development between Bellway and Barratt Redrow were essential Section 278 roadworks, which were a requirement of the planning permissions for the developments, and were undertaken with full oversight and direction of the local highways department and involved significant upgrades to the local authority controlled public highway.

“Following these works, a request was made by residents of Lower Furlong to undertake improvements to their road, although this falls outside the scope of the planning requirements.

“While the suggestions put forward were carefully considered, the developers have no legal obligation or authority to carry out works to the road, as it forms part of the local authority highway network. Any such improvements would therefore need to be led by the local authority, be subject to the appropriate approvals and planning processes, and involve significant additional costs beyond the substantial investment already made by the developers in the local area.”

We have approached Bedford Borough Council for comment.