Two “temporary” car parks next to Bedford Hospital could be kept in place for another five years after developers lodged fresh planning applications with Bedford Borough Council.
The Arch Company Properties Ltd has asked the council to extend permissions for car parks at Ampthill Road (357 spaces) and Kings Place (519 spaces), which together provide 876 spaces for staff and visitors.
Both car parks were originally approved as short-term measures, with permissions due to expire on September 24, 2025. But the company says they have become “an integral part of the hospital operation” and are usually full.
Planning consultants Turley, acting for The Arch Company, warned that closing the sites would cause “significant impacts on the transport network surrounding the hospital” and could disrupt “vital operations such as ambulance journeys and deliveries.”
The applications argue that the extensions are needed because longer-term regeneration plans for land “south of the river” have stalled, and proposals for the East West Rail link, which may affect the area and Bedford St John’s station, are still uncertain.
The developers say the car parks will remain temporary until regeneration or East West Rail works come forward, or alternative hospital parking, such as a multi-storey car park, is provided.
If approved, the new permissions would allow the hospital to continue using the spaces until September 2030.
More information can be found on the council’s planning portal, references 25/01600/S73 and 25/01601/M73.
The overall consultation period for 25/01600/S73 ends on Thursday, 18 September 2025, and Friday, 19 September 2025 for 25/01601/M73.
by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
