A developer has claimed Wootton’s neighbourhood plan has been “overtaken by events” as part of a bid to build up to 66 homes on land west of Wootton Upper School.
The outline application, submitted for a 6.5-hectare site off Hall End Road, proposes a residential development with access and landscaping, alongside open space and green infrastructure.
The application’s planning statement acknowledges that the site lies outside the village’s settlement boundary, but adds that it is “immediately adjacent” to it.
The statement said the Wootton Neighbourhood Development Plan, adopted in 2022, has not been reviewed as intended and has been “overtaken by events”, including updated housing requirements and wider growth pressures.
As well as the approved Universal Studios theme park development, which is expected to create around “20,000 construction jobs and 8,000 operational roles on Wootton’s doorstep”.
Read: All our news connected to Universal Studios UK
The proposal includes up to 30 per cent affordable housing, new public open space, and transport improvements along Hall End Road.
The planning statement said the site conflicts with settlement boundary policies but argues that the “tilted balance” applies and that the benefits of the development would outweigh any adverse effects.
The “tilted balance” is a planning mechanism in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
It prioritises sustainable development, particularly housing, by shifting the decision-making balance in favour of approving planning applications when local policies are out-of-date or a five-year housing supply is lacking.
The applicants said Bedford Borough has a 3.35-year land supply as of April 2025.
A larger scheme for the site (81 homes) was refused by the council in 2019 on highway safety grounds. The applicant said the appeal inspector later found the development would be acceptable in “highway safety terms”.
The appeal was ultimately dismissed by the inspector.
More information on the new application can be found on the council’s planning portal, reference 26/00750/MAO.
The overall consultation expiry date is Thursday, 4 June 2026.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
This article was updated at 17:45 on 13 May 2026 to correct an error in the planning application reference.
