Plans for a new six-storey Elective Hub at Bedford Hospital have taken a step forward.
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has asked Bedford Borough Council to decide whether the plans will require a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before it submits a planning application.
The application does not explain elective hubs, but these are a dedicated hospital facility for planned, non-emergency treatments such as routine operations, diagnostic tests, and outpatient procedures.
They aim to reduce cancellations, speed up treatment times, and help cut NHS waiting lists by keeping planned services separate from emergency care.
The 10,500-square-metre facility would be built in phases over up to 15 years, starting with the ground and first floors. Later phases would add further storeys, with the building rising to a maximum of six storeys (about 31 metres).
The two-hectare site lies within the hospital campus, alongside existing medical facilities and close to residential areas.
The Trust’s planning agent requested an EIA screening opinion request under the Town and Country Planning (EIA) Regulations 2017.
The council has 21 days to confirm whether the proposal should be treated as “EIA development”, meaning it would need a formal environmental study before a planning application could be submitted.
If not, the project can proceed to the planning stage without one, though other technical reports may still be required.
The request is accompanied by a detailed screening report describing the proposal to demolish the existing single-storey Kings Place office building and construct a new Elective Hub on the hospital’s South Wing site in Britannia Road.
The screening report says the project exceeds the one-hectare threshold for Schedule 2 “urban development projects” under EIA regulations, but concludes its environmental effects are unlikely to be significant.
It argues that potential impacts, such as temporary construction noise, dust, traffic disruption and visual change, can be managed through standard mitigation measures and further technical assessments at the planning application stage.
If the council agrees that a full EIA is not required, the Trust intends to submit a hybrid planning application seeking full permission for the first phase and outline permission for later phases.
More information can be found on the council’s planning hub, reference 25/01538/EIASCR.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
