Plans unveiled for 400 homes on edge of village

Manor Oak Homes wants to develop two fields north of Bedford into 400 new homes

A significant new planning application for about 400 homes has been submitted just as a council is set to withdraw its local plan that guides development.

Bedford Borough Council is likely to rewrite its 2040 local plan after the planning inspector deemed its strategy "unsound", and also in light of the proposed Universal Studios theme park.

The plan allocates areas for house building across the borough and planning applications must broadly align with it.

Developer Manor Oak Homes is proposing a large residential development at Renhold, north of Bedford.

The application was being prepared "in response to the drastic need for new homes across the borough and the imminent withdrawal of the local plan 2040", a covering letter said.

It said there was a deficit of at least 2,000 homes for the area, which has increased to potentially 5,000 in response to the Universal project.

The site near Renhold is made up of two agricultural fields next to woodland and a children's nursery

The removal of the plan creates a policy vacuum, which developers are now seeking to fill.

At a meeting on 9 July, councillors were told that a planning inspector had raised serious concerns as far back as November 2023 over key elements of the plan, including housing need, employment growth, and strategic infrastructure.

Members heard the process was now complicated by assessing the potential impact of the proposed Universal Studios theme park.

Conservative councillor Marc Frost, who represents Wixams and Wilstead, said: "I'm very concerned about where we are because of the speculative development that's already hitting my ward."

He told the BBC that withdrawing the plan meant "the balance is tilted ever so slightly" in favour of the developers.

"Assuming the local plan is withdrawn, a lot of people may try their luck to see what they can get away with.

"However if it's not right for the area, we can still say no," he added.

Priority projects consultant Sam Fox told the meeting: "We do still have an ability to refuse schemes that we believe don't make the tests and aren't right for the area.

"There are policy tests still in place, so it's not that we would have to just accept everything".

The proposed development would sit next to the village of Salph End

Before submitting the full outline planning application, Manor Oak Homes has formally requested a "screening opinion" from the council.

This is a formal check to determine if a proposed development is likely to have significant environmental effects.

Frost said the council must engage with the public over the local plan.

"I would like the planning team to ensure that we consult and listen to our residents properly and not just pay lip service.

"We know we need houses for young people and affordable homes, but it's got to be the right houses in the right place, with infrastructure first."