Making Decisions
How We Decide
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. 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 here for more
information on privacy and overlooking and 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.
View Scheme
of Delegation
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 16th April 2008.
View Standard
wording of planning conditions, reasons for conditions and reasons
for refusal (April 2008)