Bedford Borough Council is set to launch a new Local Plan to 2050 after the collapse of its previous strategy left the borough without an up-to-date development framework.
A report to the Executive on 8 April will ask members to approve the start of the process, with the officer’s report warning that the absence of a current plan is increasing the risk of “speculative and uncoordinated development”.
The council withdrew its Local Plan 2040 from examination in October 2025, meaning current planning decisions rely on a patchwork of policies dating back to 2002.
Read: Fears of “speculative development” as Local Plan 2040 is withdrawn
The new Local Plan will set out where homes, jobs and infrastructure should go up to 2050, with the proposed timetable indicating adoption by November 2029.
A supporting project document states Bedford is at a “critical juncture”, and highlights major developments, including East West Rail, the proposed Universal theme park and new towns in the wider area, which it says are reshaping housing and economic patterns.
Read: Bedford Borough’s Local Plan 2040 has “no credible future” in light of Universal plans
The report highlights a number of risks to delivery, including reliance on government funding, infrastructure provision and cross-boundary coordination.
The Executive will be asked to approve a “call for sites” inviting landowners, developers, community groups, residents and other interested parties to put forward potential development sites and regeneration opportunities this summer and a six-week public consultation in autumn 2026.
This will shape the scope of the plan, but will not identify specific development sites at that stage.
Under the new planning system, the council must produce the plan within a 30-month timetable once formal preparation begins, with multiple government “gateway” checks before submission for independent examination.
The report said the successful delivery of the programme requires a “substantial increase in team capacity to respond to the scale
and complexity of the new plan-led system”.
by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
