POLICY LL7: Existing and New Local Community Assets
- The Neighbourhood Plan identifies existing community facilities, as listed below, shown on the Policies Map and detailed in Appendix D for the purpose of applying the National Decision-Making Policies HC4 and HC6 on proposals for the retention and improvement of key community facilities and public service infrastructure.
- Leighton Buzzard Day Centre
- Linslade Community Hall
- Forster Institute
- Gables Masonic Hall
- The Recreation Rooms
- Linslade Memorial Pavilion and Playing Fields
- Community Hall, Hornbeam Close
- Meadow Way Community Association
- Astral Park Community Centre
- Pages Park Pavilion
- Brooklands Club
- Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre
- Tactic Centre
- Youth Club (adjacent to Gilbert Inglefield Academy)
- Childrens Centre
- Leighton Buzzard Library
- Riverside Centre
- The Neighbourhood Plan identifies the designated Asset of Community Value (ACV) at Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre. Re-development within the existing use class E(d) or re-purposing of this building for appropriate use class F1 and/or use class F2 uses will be supported to ensure the continued use of this existing community facility, following the opening of the new Leisure Centre in Leighton Buzzard.
Leighton Linslade has a relatively small number of community facilities for a large market town and as such the Neighbourhood Plan promotes the creation of new facilities where there is opportunity to do so. As a result of the relative lack of assets, it is vital that the existing facilities are protected for local people for community uses. Some spaces serve a very local catchment, such as Meadow Way Community Association; others such as the Children’s Centre and Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre, serve the wider town. Appendix C provides further details on each of the venues, explaining why they play such a vital role in the social infrastructure of the town.
The Classes E and F uses were introduced by the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020, which amended the 1987 Order. Use Class E covers a wide range of commercial, business and service uses. Class E(d) is specifically related to indoor sport, recreation and fitness. Use Class F is split into F1 (learning and non-residential institutions) and F2 (local community). F1 includes uses like schools, libraries, museums, art galleries, places of worship, and law courts. F2 includes community halls, outdoor sports areas, and swimming pools or skating rinks.
To see the full Leighton-Linslade Neighbourhood Plan Policy Map, or to find instructions about how to use our interactive maps, please visit our Policy Map page.