A developer has resubmitted plans to alter the design of a long-approved industrial development at a former nightclub in rural Bedford borough.
Planning officers refused the last application to amend the design for the former Milwaukees Night Club, Rushden Road, Souldrop, last month.
The site has planning permission (2016) for 14 business units for office, light industrial and warehouse use.
The planning officer said the proposed changes “would be a significant downgrade to the previously approved external finish”, adding, the development would “fail to respect the character and quality of the rural area”.
In the new submission, the developer says it has amended the scheme to address those concerns.
The applicant’s letter argues that the updated materials will “preserve the rural character of the site” while allowing modern construction methods.
It also confirms that the overall site layout, floorspace, and parking arrangements remain unchanged from the original approval.
The developers said five of the proposed units are “provisionally under offer” and claim local companies are “desperate to be in by the summer” to avoid disrupting existing businesses.
More information can be found on the council’s planning portal, reference 26/00079/M73. The overall consultation expiry date is Wednesday, 18 February 2026.
by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
