Planning town and country

Making Decisions

What the Council will do – Making Decisions

How we decide and what we take into account.
The Council acting as local planning authority will determine your application based on the material you have submitted and in accordance with relevant policies and guidance and other material considerations. You are encouraged to seek advice and guidance before you submit the application.

By law, certain matters must be taken into account:

Government Advice – set out in circulars, Planning Policy Guidance notes and Planning Policy Statements.
Local Planning Policies – approved by Bedford Borough Council or Bedfordshire County Council. The Bedford Local Plan sets out this Council’s current planning policies until replaced by new Local Development Documents. The Council has prepared a number of Supplementary Planning Guidance Documents and Supplementary Planning Documents which provide advice on issues such as residential extensions and shopfronts.
Other Planning Issues – for example, the written comments of consultees e.g. the highway authority or a neighbour. The Council can only take into account matters which are directly relevant to the planning process e.g. light, pollution, noise and traffic. Click herefor more information on privacy and overlooking and click herefor further information on overshadowing.

Delegated and Committee decisions
The Planning Service may prepare a report for decision by the Planning Committee, which is made up of elected councillors. If the application conforms to the Council’s agreed scheme of delegation the application may be determined by the Head of Planning and Housing Services on behalf of the Planning Committee.

Scheme of Delegation - DOWNLOAD

Standard wording of conditions, reasons for conditions and reasons for refusal

Where an application for planning permission has been made it can be refused or granted, either unconditionally or subject to conditions. The Council may use standardised wordings for conditions, reasons for conditions or reasons for refusal in its reports. These are available to view below. The standardised wordings were updated in April 2008, to take account of the adoption of new policies within the Core Strategy and Rural Issues Plan on the 16^th April 2008.

Standard wording of planning conditions, reasons for conditions and reasons for refusal (April 2008) - DOWNLOAD

SERVICES A-Z

Planning Services
Tree Preservation Order
Planning Applications