07/05/2026
CENTRAL BEDS RUNNING NEW LOCAL PLAN CONSULTATION
Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) is running another consultation on the new Local Plan for housing, to give residents the opportunity to have a say as it develops.
A year ago, CBC announced a list of 452 potential housing sites [1] across the region, from which, in the coming years, a shortlist will be agreed for development in the next Local Plan.
At the end of 2024, the council conducted a legal process known as a 'Call for sites' [1] where anyone with land they want to develop, could put this forward. 626 sites were proposed.
And then, council officers worked through this list, removing any which were obvious candidates for refusal such as:
- Not big enough for at least 10 new homes.
- Land in SSSIs, or sites which are in the highest flood risk areas
· Land where there is a legal impediment to development e.g. submitted without the permission of the landowner
· Sites that are not directly next to the edge of a town/village and not big enough to form a new settlement on their own
174 were removed for these reasons and in last year's post you could see where these were as they were marked in blue on the maps [1].
The council also put together a website where you can see exactly where the remaining 452 sites are located [3]. You can view how big each site is, what it could be used for, and where there is Green Belt. It is perhaps not surprising that many areas in the west and south of Central Beds have fewer plots of land put forward, as this is where there are large areas of Green Belt.
A first draft of the Local Plan (known as ‘Issues and options’) will be published for consultation this autumn. This will consider options for the location of new development e.g. should sites be located near to existing infrastructure or should new settlements be prioritised. After this, the council will take all the comments and use this to prioritise where sites should go. There will then be another public consultation once the final shortlist of sites has been agreed. Likely next autumn.
Since last year, the government has brought in new requirements for local authorities to run an extra 'Scoping Consultation'.
It allows people to comment upon aspirations for the area, what services should be provided. jobs, protection of the local environment, transport, walking, cycling, and green space. And if this sounds familiar, that's because it's very similar to the informal non-statutory consultation that CBC ran a couple of years ago!
Take part here: https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/313/creating_great_places_to_live_-_new_local_plan
The deadline is 3rd June.
FAQs on the whole Local Plan below.
Here are the key FAQs:
>DO WE REALLY NEED MORE HOUSES IN THE COUNTRYSIDE?
No one would disagree we need homes for the next generation. But what we don't want, is to see is our countryside and wildlife destroyed by ugly new housing developments. When new housing is planned, it's vital residents' views are valued.
>WHAT HAPPENS IF CBC DOESN'T HAVE A LOCAL PLAN?
The government insists councils have an up to date Plan, and CBC had one approved in 2021.
If local authorities refuse, or drag their heels, developers can just apply to build wherever they want to, knowing even if the council turns it down, this may get overturned at appeal, as the local authority won't be able to demonstrate they have a plan.
When CBC approved its Local Plan in 2021, the government inspector stated a review had to begin within 6 months. When we took over, this review was ongoing; we moved quickly to understood the likely impact, so the council Would not find itself at risk of developers being able to exploit weaknesses. We learnt major changes would be required to the Local Plan and these could not be accomodated by minor alterations to the existing document. This was because new legislation was coming through in the next few years (e.g. the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act) and even then we could see a new government was likely and they would have their own proposals for planning and housing.
>HOW MANY HOUSES ARE NEEDED?
The original proposal was 14,800 by 2045, but this has been increased to 25,500 by 2050. Some councillors wanted it increased. The full story behind why is here: https://www.facebook.com/adamzerny/posts/pfbid0QPqt5hSLzHcY1i3hf4jmksQ2bSbtJ9jWEvGpmHirarDizXC4QyReiimfaAEQmuVJl
>IS THE COUNCIL CONSULTING THE PUBLIC?
Yes. All the way through the process. Back in August 2024, CBC carried out a public consultation on the sort of things people felt were needed from developments. While this will not be the public's last opportunity to feed into the process, more than 12,000 people took a look, and there were nearly 3,500 comments.
>WHAT WAS THE LAST CONSULTATION ABOUT?
We believe residents should have a chance to play a real part in this, not just be told where houses go, further down the line. This consultation [3] was one of the stages we were really keen to include. it was about you telling CBC what's important to you e.g.
- Access to new or improved green space and nature
- Jobs that are easy to get to
- High-quality, well-designed homes for every stage of life
- Excellent transport options, including walking and cycling
- Great local facilities such as roads, schools, shops, and parks
- Respecting and enhancing the unique character of our towns and villages
The council can only consider the views of people who take part. If you don't take part, the plan will be moulded only by the views of others.
>WHAT'S BEING DONE DIFFERENTLY THIS TIME?
We'd like to see this new Local Plan designed in conjunction with communities as opposed to being purely dictated from above.
We'll continue to keep you in the picture as to how this progresses in the coming months.
>WILL THIS NEW LOCAL PLAN MEAN LOADS OF NEW HOUSING?
All local authorities are obliged to provide housing as per government targets but the locations in question are down to councils to decide. Under the current plan, CBC is obliged to find around 2,000 houses per year. This number only changes if the government decides it will. There are housing sites allocated until 2035. The new plan would extend this to 2050, so yes, there will be new houses allocated to cover the extra years.
>WHERE WILL THE HOUSES GO?
This is to be decided and there will be public consultations on this in the years to come. It will depend to some extent on the land put forward, but we want it to be about the right homes in the right places, not just the first sites put forward by developers. Council officers will be proactively undertaking work to ensure the most suitable sites are selected.
>CAN I COMMENT ON THESE PROPOSED SITES NOW?
Not just yet, the council is going to carry out lots more analysis to assess each of the sites, first. There will be a consultation on this next year.
>WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
A first draft of the Local Plan (known as ‘Issues and options’) will be published for consultation later this year. This will consider options for the location of new development e.g. should sites be located near to existing infrastructure or should new settlements be prioritised. After this, the council will take all the comments and use this to prioritise where sites should go. There will then be another public consultation the final shortlist of sites has been agreed. Likely in 2027.
>DOES THE COUNCIL CARE WHAT THE PUBLIC THINKS?
Yes. Now more than ever. Our Independent councillors have gained a reputation for standing up for the protection of their areas. Housing will need to be allocated, we have no choice about that, but we all agree communities should be properly heard.
>WHAT ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE?
In the past, we have seen huge developments built, across the country, with little in the way of infrastructure. We want to ensure this changes in our patch. The new Local Plan will better attempt to understand and enable delivery of what communities want alongside new homes.
>DOESN'T THE COUNCIL JUST SEE RESIDENTS AS NIMBYs?
We are working very closely with the council officers who will be administering the Local Plan. They 'get it' that communities want to grow gradually and there is a real feeling of 'we're in this together' and we must put together a plan that takes into account the opinions and needs of residents. The problem with tags like NIMBY is that no one who opposes a new development does so to be spiteful to those in need of somewhere to live. They do so because they want to protect their natural environment. We are working closely with the officers at the council and can see already there is a strong understanding of the implications of such development
>IS THE CURRENT LOCAL PLAN BROKEN?
No. There are no issues with the existing. The new Local Plan will be about ensuring we take into account the major legislative changes of the coming years and ensure we have a plan which continues to be fit for purpose well into the future.
>DOES THIS MEAN NO BUILDING OUTSIDE OF THE EXISTING LOCAL PLAN CAN TAKE PLACE UNTIL THE NEXT ONE IS APPROVED?
Not quite. Of course, we can’t guarantee all the sites within the existing Local Plan will come forward, as this depends upon developers. Thus, there has to be consideration of what is known as 'windfall' which is essentially developments outside of the plan which are perceived to be in keeping with what the council wants. A small proportion of building since 2021 has been approved outside of the current Local Plan, which feels like a sign of high standards from CBC. What we want to avoid is 'speculative development' whereby developers propose large developments outside of a Local Plan. We don't believe this is the right way to do it.
>IS THERE ANY MORE BACKGROUND READING?
Yes, lots more on the Local Plan here: https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/313/creating_great_places_to_live_-_new_local_plan
Appendix
[1] https://www.facebook.com/profile/100058282171382/search/?q=local%20plan
[2] https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/call-for-sites
[3] https://consultations.central-bedfordshire.urbanintelligence.co.uk/public-web-map?eventId=85
