This page contains important information about what you need to submit with your planning application, prior notification or minerals and waste application.
What you need to submit
A fee is required as detailed in the planning application fee list, and all other plans/documents so your application can be determined. Please note: the fees and exemptions changed on 6 December 2023 and you can find out more in the legislation for fees regulations and new increased fees.
The planning forms are national, used by all councils and each one has its own ‘Validation Requirements’ document to advise what plans and documents you need to include, as well as guidance notes. Please read these for your application type from the list below.
Planning applications plans must be to scale and scaled from in order to be able to check the application, you therefore must not mark them as ‘DO NOT SCALE’ as this will result in the application being invalidated. Please also ensure you do not supply photos of plans or use photos to produce paper copies of plans as we cannot accept them. Plans must be submitted at the correct size they were originally created at which can be A4, A3, A2, A1 and A0, which is usually detailed on the plan itself.
Bedford Borough Council also has a ‘Local Validation list’ that details documents we require for certain application types. Planning application additional supporting documents list (PDF).
Important information
All planning documentation to be considered as part of your application must be supplied by yourself. The Planning department cannot provide you with documentation, submit applications for you or decide which application you need to submit. All applications are checked on receipt.
Planning legislation and applications are categorised as follows:
Planning permission (full, outline, reserved matters, variations to permissions etc) - Major or Minor, householder development, listed building consent, prior notifications, lawful development certificates and ‘other’ applications for example: discharge of conditions, adverts and protected trees (in a conservation area or subject to a Tree Preservation Order).
On this page you will find:
- A list of each of the application types which contains: the form you need to complete and the validation and guidance which you must read before submission.
- Guidance for some of these categories and links for example: Householder development, lawful development certificates and prior notifications
- The local authority can also provide pre-application advice on your proposal prior to the submission of an application. (If you want to know ‘if you need planning permission’ or if something is ‘permitted development’ you need to submit a lawful development certificate).
If you require further assistance or technical information please see step 1 on the application submissions page.
Once you have submitted an application or you want to know more about the planning process, please see the guidance for applicants and agents page . We also have a How to guides page for more information about the website and some types of applications.
If you submit your application via the Planning Portal then your fee will be calculated and taken by the Planning Portal. Bedford Borough Council’s Planning Service will check this to ensure it is correct. If you have any problems using the Planning Portal you must contact them directly. The application will not be sent to us until the fee has been paid.
If you need to submit a Heritage Statement please see the details about this half way down the Heritage page and for CIL forms for residential development, please go to www.bedford.gov.uk/CIL.
Biodiversity net gain
In February 2024 the Government introduced new biodiversity procedures that both applicants/agents and planning authorities must follow - please see our webpage www.bedford.gov.uk/planningBNG for detailed information and guidance. If you are claiming a self-build exemption for biodiversity net gain, please complete the self-build form available on the above web page and send to Bedford Borough Council as part of the application documentation. Please ensure you label this as the self/custom build form for biodiversity net gain and include the application number it relates to.
Validation and starting your application
On receipt of your application(s) we will check your submission as part of the ‘validation’ process. If anything is missing or requires amending, the application will be invalidated and you will be sent a letter explaining what you need to provide within a deadline. If you supply some information and the application is still invalid you will be sent another letter with a new deadline.
An application is only valid and can be processed for a decision once all the required information has been received.
If you do not respond or provide the correct information within the time frame given, your application will be returned and you will need to reapply. Please note: Once an application has been returned and refunded we cannot reverse this process.
Householder applications
This section is to assist people with householder applications on residential properties.
Please ensure you have read the sections above under the headings: What you need to submit, Important information and validating and starting your application, as these apply to any applications submitted to the Council.
Before you apply please go to householder development guidance to find out which type of application you need to submit.
The link above explains what you can apply for as Householder planning permission and in the Exclusions section more about Householder prior approvals and permitted development which are different applications. You can then apply for the correct one below.
- For householder Planning permission: see forms 1, 2 and 3 below under the heading ‘Planning application forms’. If your property is a Listed building you can complete Form 3 for householder applications with Listed building consent. Two applications will be created for both elements of what you are applying for.
- For additional guidance see Residential Extensions, New Dwellings and Small Infill Developments (2000).
- You can also find out more about listed buildings and conservation areas on our heritage pages.
- For householder prior notifications: see the link to PRIOR NOTIFICATIONS further down this page. You can also find out more in Guide 13.
- For householder permitted development: see Permitted development rights for householders technical guidance (PDF).
- For planning to provide a response about ‘permitted development’ or ‘if you need planning permission or not’ please see the section below about Lawful Development Certificates. We also have more information about permitted development on our planning advice page in step 2. There is more information about planning advice below.
Apply online on the planning portal or in paper for any of the above, see Step 4.
If you require assistance with submitting these types of applications please see guidance in Step 1.
It is very important you read the application form guidance notes and the validation requirements before submitting an application. You can see examples of what needs to be supplied with your application.
- For Planning advice: about the feasibility of your scheme or whether or it is likely to obtain planning permission please go to our page www.bedford.gov.uk/planningenquiries which also provides other links to other pages to assist you. It is important you read all the steps and the Fees and exemptions document in step 4.
- If the property is a listed building: you can apply for listed building householder advice only for a response from the Heritage team only, or you can request householder advice for planning advice and we will consult the Heritage team for comments, the response will be from a Planning Officer.
- Please note: this advice service does not provide planning permission, it is informal planning advice on the development proposed only. This service can also not be used to ask if something is permitted development or not. To apply for planning permission or you have a permitted development question, you need to submit the relevant application for the development as shown in the application forms list further down this page.
Please note: Dropped kerbs and any householder scheme that also involves a change of use are not householder applications you will need to complete form 4 as shown in the list below.
Lawful development certificates – finding out from Planning if a development is permitted development / lawful
Lawful development certificates can be submitted for development that is proposed or existing. The fee for proposed requests is half the planning fee.
The response sent from Planning is a legal certificate which is either ‘issued’ if confirmed as permitted development / lawful, or ‘not issued’ if confirmed as not permitted development / lawful (or there is insufficient information to make a determination). Both types of responses include an officer's report explaining the decision.
It is up to the applicant / agent to submit sufficient information for a determination to be made.
The requirements for the request to be valid are minimal, however this does not prevent a lawful development certificate from not being issued (refused) due to insufficient information, because officers have not been able to make a proper assessment as to whether or not the works are or not permitted development.
- We therefore advise you to submit as much detail as possible for any lawful development certificate, as shown in the guidance for each of these forms, no 15, no 14 and no 32. This does not mean the certificate will necessarily be issued (approved) however it will provide the officers with more detail for the assessment.
For example: For proposed building works this can include plans / drawings showing the development as proposed and the property as existing, both with dimensions and possible materials. For change of use we advise you to submit details of proposed use and existing.
- The government has a lawful development certificates user guide (PDF) more details about the process.
- To apply you can submit online via the planning portal or in paper sent to Bedford Borough Council. The forms are listed below in a list and are numbers no 15, no 14 and no 32 depending on which type you require. Our submissions page is www.bedford.gov.uk/planningforms.
- We also have details about permitted development in step 2 on the page www.bedford.gov.uk/planningenquiries - which directs you to the lawful development process for a response from planning.
Prior notifications
Prior notifications are for development that is permitted in the General Permitted Development Order however, you need to apply for the details to be checked and certain information must be provided for our consideration. These can be approved or refused by the Local Planning Authority but must be done within the time frames allotted as are time critical and have different consultation requirements to planning applications. Prior notifications can be submitted for lots of different types of development including some: changes of use, telecommunications development, householder development.
You can find out more about prior notifications in Guide 13
View the forms for prior notifications
Minerals and waste applications
Go to our minerals and waste applications page
Planning application forms
1. Householder application for Planning Permission for works or extension to a dwelling (PDF)
2. Householder application for Planning Permission for works or extension to a dwelling and for relevant demolition of an unlisted building in a conservation area (PDF)
Please note that conservation area consent is only required to demolish a building / structure which is bigger than 115 cubic metres or if a fence or wall is to be removed.
4. Application for Planning Permission
(Use this form for changes of use, non-householder development and erection of dwellings).
5. Application for Outline Planning Permission with some matters reserved
6. Application for Outline Planning Permission with all matters reserved
Please note that conservation area consent is only required to demolish a building / structure which is bigger than 115 cubic metres or if a fence or wall is to be removed.
9. Application for Planning Permission and consent to display advertisements
10. Application for planning permission for relevant demolition in a conservation area
Please note that conservation area consent is only required to demolish a building / structure which is bigger than 115 cubic metres or if a fence or wall is to be removed.
12. Application for consent to display an advertisement
15. Application for a Lawful Development Certificate for a proposed use or development
The fee for this application is half the usual fee.
16. Application for Prior Notification of agricultural or forestry development - proposed building
17. Application for Prior Notification of agricultural or forestry development - proposed road
21. Application for Hedgerow removal notice
22. Application for Prior Notification of proposed demolition
23. Application for approval of reserved matters following outline approval
24. Application for removal or variation of a condition following grant of Planning Permission
Form 24 is not for the discharge/approval of conditions, for this you need Form 25.
Free application.
28. Application for a new planning permission to replace an extant planning permission in order to extend the time limit for implementation
(This application is only valid for permissions granted on or before 1 October 2010 that have not expired) .
29. Application for a non-material amendment following a grant of planning permission
Please click on the above link and go to the section ‘How to discharge, vary and comply with S106 agreements’ to find the correct form for your request as there are three options. There is no fee applicable. In the event that the application is supported by a viability appraisal, the applicant will normally be required to meet the full costs incurred by the Council in appointing an independent viability assessor.
32. Application for a certificate of lawfulness of proposed works to a listed building
As stated in the Biodiversity Survey and Report requirements within the Local Validation Lists above, the template produced by the Association for Local Government Ecologists (ALGE) can be obtained here ALGE Template (PDF)
The Heads of Terms draft template for S106s can be obtained here Draft S106 Template