The land and the people around it.
Quest Pit has been left to nature since clay working stopped in 2008. Our plans start from protecting it and listening to the people who live nearby.
The site today
Quest Pit is a former Hanson Brick clay pit off Ampthill Road, Stewartby. Clay working stopped in 2008 and since then parts of the pit have been taken back by reedbed, open water and scrub. It's now a County Wildlife Site, recorded as home to breeding birds including bearded tits, great crested newts, bats and reptiles. We know that, and it's where our plans start.
What we'll do before anything is decided
The Development Consent Order process requires a full Environmental Impact Assessment. For Quest Park that will include year-round independent ecological surveys covering birds, amphibians, bats, reptiles and invertebrates. The findings will be published as part of the consultation, and they'll shape where buildings go.
Using less of the pit
The building layout we inherited from the approved film studio scheme was drawn to make the most of the lake view. We're reviewing it to reduce how much of the pit is disturbed, keeping the most valuable habitat intact where we can.
New habitat nearby
We've secured an option over 134 acres of farmland at Chapel Farm to create new wetland, grassland and hedgerow habitat. That land is reserved for nature. The aim is for wildlife in the area to be better off overall once the campus is built, measured under the government's Biodiversity Net Gain rules.
Noise
Our on-site power is generated without burning fuel, so there are no engines running day and night. Backup generators run on renewable HVO and only start if the main system fails. Noise limits will be set through the consent process and monitored at the site boundary.
Light
Lighting will be designed to keep dark corridors for bats and birds, pointed downward and kept to what's needed for safety and security.
Traffic
The site has two existing access points on the B530 Ampthill Road. We'll agree a construction traffic management plan with Central Bedfordshire Council, and we'll look at Quest Park alongside Universal, East West Rail and the Marston Valley development rather than on its own. Construction will be phased, which spreads lorry movements over years rather than months.
Jobs and skills
Independent economic analysis by Volterra estimates 710 to 1,145 direct jobs once the campus is operating. The plans include a STEM training and education centre, so local people can train for those jobs.
Consultation
Before we apply, we'll run a full public consultation, as the Development Consent Order process requires. Details will be published on this site.