The consultation on the submitted sites as part of the new Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) Local Plan is now open and will run until 17 August 2026.
CBC is inviting residents, businesses and organisations to comment on sites that have been put forward for possible inclusion in the new Local Plan. which will help shape how Central Bedfordshire grows up to 2050. It will set out how the area can meet future needs for homes, jobs and infrastructure, while creating and maintaining great places to live, protecting the countryside, green spaces, historic places and the character of local communities.
The Government requires councils to identify enough land for new homes, jobs and infrastructure to meet local need. Without an up-to-date Local Plan, development is more likely to happen in places the council would consider less suitable, with less local control over where it goes.
Richard Fuller MP commented:
I have concerns about the scale of development in Bedfordshire which has been running at more than 2.5 times the national average for more than fifteen years and likely longer.
This puts enormous pressure on local services and can threaten the rural character of our villages. It also places heavy burdens on the budget of Central Bedfordshire Council. That is why, although planning decisions including the Local Plan are local council issues, I have joined with Parish Councils and local authority councillors when they jointly oppose specific proposals. In Central Bedfordshire, many of my objectives have been in the countryside surrounding Biggleswade which, other than Tempsford, is the area most at risk.
It is important that, as far as possible, the priorities in a Neighbourhood Plan are adhered to in constructing a Local Plan. In the last Parliament, I tabled an amendment to a Planning Bill to give Neighbourhood Plans more weight. Neighborhood Plans are where the voice of local residents is heard most clearly. If changes to communities are to be accepted, they should accord as closely as possible to local resident wishes.
Last year, the council invited landowners, developers and others to put forward sites that they thought had potential for future development through a call for sites. The council looked first at previously developed land, but as there were not enough suitable sites identified in that category, other sites were also put forward. The council has also carried out its own search for additional sites that may need to be considered as part of preparing the Local Plan. Putting a site forward does not mean it will be included in the Local Plan or that any decision has been made about it. There is a detailed process the council must go through to determine which sites might be suitable for allocation in the plan. As part of that process, all sites will need to be carefully assessed. This will include looking at a wide range of evidence, such as flood risk, the impact on historic features, access to services, and whether places can be reached by walking, cycling or public transport rather than relying mainly on the car. This must take into account national policies and guidance.
This consultation is separate from the planning application process. Some submitted sites may already be the subject of planning applications, but comments made through this consultation will only be considered as part of preparing the new Local Plan. Anyone wishing to comment on a planning application must do so through the separate planning application process.
The council wants to hear residents’ views on the sites that have been submitted, including any local concerns about particular sites and the reasons for them. Residents are being asked to focus on the sites in their own local area, where their local knowledge will be most valuable and to understand which sites they would prefer to see developed in their area.
Local views will be considered alongside detailed evidence and national policy before deciding which sites may be suitable to take forward for allocation in the Local Plan.
To take part in the consultations, residents, local businesses and organisations should visit www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/local-plan-sites
