Planning Town and Country
The Planning Service provides information on planning
applications, appeals, enforcement, conservation areas, listed
buildings, tree preservation orders and policy documents.
To view associated documents, please click
here.
The Planning Web Pages
The Planning web pages give information and detail on each area
of the Planning Service provided by Bedford Borough Council.
Broadly, the Planning Service is provided by three teams. To find
out more about the teams and the services they provide, please
click on the links below:
You can contact the teams by email at planning@bedford.gov.uk, by
writing to Planning Services, Town Hall, St Paul’s Square, Bedford,
MK40 1SJ or by telephoning 01234 267422.
Planning Applications
Most new development requires planning
permission. The basic rule is that planning permission is needed
for what the
Town and Country Planning Act 1990 defines as
‘development’. For further information on planning applications,
please click here.
We are currently in the process of scanning various historic
planning files. For more information, please click
here.
Latest Planning Headlines
BEDFORD BOROUGH BECOMES A UNITARY COUNCIL
On 1st April 2009, the Borough Council became
a unitary authority. With this change of status come a number of
new responsibilities.
In the case of regional planning, the Council
is now a Section 4 (4) authority in its own right and is tasked
with advising the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) about
the capacity of the borough to accept additional growth through the
review of the East of England Plan process.
In addition, development control functions
previously carried out by Bedfordshire County Council e.g. the
provision of schools, libraries etc are now carried out by the
borough.
The Council is now a minerals and waste
planning authority responsible for determining minerals and waste
planning applications, plan making, monitoring and enforcement.
This is provided on a shared service basis and the minerals and
waste team are hosted by Central Bedfordshire Council. For more
information on minerals and waste, please
click here to visit Central Bedfordshire's website.
Following the move to unitary, the functions
of Planning Services have been strengthened to take on the
Council’s new role and to incorporate services previously provided
by the County Council. These include archaeology, maintaining the
heritage environment record, trees, highways development control,
highways agreements and highways searches.
The Planning and Housing Service Unit have
received an application for the construction of a wind farm
development comprising 6 wind turbines up to 125m in height to
blade tip and ancillary equipment and access tracks in conjunction
with planning applications to Milton Keynes Council for three
turbines, one anemometry mast (80m) and access tracks and the
Borough of Wellingborough for three turbines, substation, compound,
access tracks and site access as part of a single wind farm of 12
turbines for an operational period of 25 years at land west of New
Road, Nun Wood, Harrold (planning application number 09/00137/MAF).
Details of the application including all supporting documents can
be found at or viewed by visiting the Town Hall in Bedford. For
more information, please go to http://www.npower-renewables.com/nunwood/
The Climate Change and Pollution SPD was adopted on 17 December
2008.
Click here for further information.
Please note that major changes to permitted development to
householder applications took effect on 1 October 2008.
For details please contact the Duty Planning Enquiries Officer on
mondays-fridays between 8:45 and 12:30 on 01234 221798.
The Planning and Housing Service Unit have
received an application for the erection and operation of 3 wind
turbines, associated infrastructure including access tracks, crane
pads, construction compound and control building, underground
cabling at Airfield Farm, Podington (planning application number
08/2692/MAF). Details of the application including all supporting
documents can be found at
http://www.nuonrenewables.com/newsite/projects/SAPD1/default.aspx
or viewed by visiting the Town Hall in Bedford.
Public Access
To track an application, conduct a History search or find
planning application numbers please use our Planning Public Access Portal website where
you will be asked to accept the terms and conditions before
proceeding.
Planning Committee
The Planning Committee convenes every three
weeks to discuss relevant issues to do with Planning in the
Borough. To view the Planning Committee Agendas, Reports and
Minutes for the current financial year, please
click here.
To view past Agendas, Report and Minutes, please
click here and select the year you wish to view.
Alternatively Committee papers can be reviewed at the Planning
Reception during office hours.
Right to Speak Scheme
You can apply to speak to the Planning
Committee if you wish to object to a planning application. For more
information on the Right to Speak Scheme, please click here.
Planning Service Plans
Click on the documents below to view the
Planning Department’s Service Plans.
Planning
Service Plan 2004-9 (April 2008) (298 kb)
Half Yearly
Planning Service Plan (April to December 2008) (90 kb)
Duty Officer
The Duty Officer deals with all general/pre-application
enquiries between 8:45 and 12:30 Monday to Friday. The Duty Officer
can be contacted on 01234 221798 or emailed at planning@bedford.gov.uk. It is
useful to provide the Duty Officer with as many details as possible
to speed up our reponse, please espescially provide the duty
officer with the property address concerned. Calls in relation to a
current/determined application will be transferred to the relevant
case officer.
Useful Planning Terms
Click here to
view useful planning terms