The King’s Arms Project has submitted a planning application to erect six new dwellings and a communal building on land at the rear of Priory Methodist Church, Newnham Avenue, Bedford.
King’s Arms Project is a charity that tackles homelessness, displacement and isolation in Bedford and beyond, and provides person-centred support, accommodation and opportunities for growth and community.
The applicants said they were approached by Bedford Borough Council in 2021 for ‘meanwhile use’ (lettings by a landlord to an intermediary, e.g. a local authority or voluntary body) of the site.
Adding that there is a need for more affordable housing for single people in the borough, and ‘meanwhile housing’ is one way to respond to that.
If approved, the scheme will provide housing for six people at any one time.
These residents will be known by King’s Arms Project and would have been assessed as able to live independently.
The charity said it will continue to work with the residents and provide floating support.
The on-site communal space will provide staff with the opportunity to work with tenants on a one-to-one basis or in a group context.
Five units have integral dog runs between each unit accessed from dog flaps to allow residents to bring pets.
It is not envisaged that residents will have the use of cars, and the only motorised visitors are likely to be Kings Arms staff.
A public exhibition was held in February at Priory Methodist Church, the applicants said feedback was “broadly positive”, with some concerns about security.
One-to-one meetings were offered to the neighbours adjoining the site and the applicants said it was agreed that having standard 6ft fences on the boundary would address those concerns.
More information can be found on the council’s planning portal, reference 22/02011/FUL.
The overall consultation expiry date is Thursday, October 20, 2022.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
