Current Planning Projects
Welcome to Mid Beds District Council’s website and this specific page which has been put together to explain what is going on in the District at the moment within the Planning Department of which you may become an integral part. Additional information can be found on our Planning promotional webpages.
Please have a read of the information below and click on the links to other parts of our website as well as some external links to projects currently planned for the District.
To apply for the post please click on the following link to the Human Resources page of the main website which contains more general information on the Council as a whole.
Current Planning Projects in Mid Beds
The Wixams
The Council has recently approved outline planning permission with a Section 106 agreement securing over £200m of infrastructure and community benefits for a new town named the Wixams which lies to the South of the County Town of Bedford. The development comprises a total of 4,500 homes with 3 village centres and a town centre, 6 new schools, 25% affordable housing, first class health, community and leisure facilities, a new railway station and a new employment area with 1 million sq ft of commercial floor space. The Wixams will be one of the largest new communities to be built in the UK.
More information on the project can be found at: http://www.elstowgardenvillages.co.uk/index.asp?PageID=1
Land East of Biggleswade
In the Eastern part of the District the Council is currently dealing with all planning aspects of a housing allocation site to the East of Biggleswade, the largest Town in the District. The development comprises 2,100 dwellings with 28% affordable housing a neighbourhood centre and a new lower school. The Section 106 agreement secures over £60m of infrastructure and community benefits.
Further information regarding the project can be found at:
http://committees.midbeds.gov.uk/Published/C00000345/M00001206/$$ADocPackPublic.pdf - please see pages 93 – 374 of the agenda.
Fairfield Park
The Council also manages and monitors the construction of Fairfield Park a new village of 1200 new homes which includes a retail facility, a new school and a new community building. The development includes 273 new apartments within a Grade II Listed Building where the Council provides a Conservation Expert to oversee the building restoration. At the present time 500 dwellings have Reserved Matters consent with 240 occupations on site.
More details can be found at:
http://www.fairfield-park.co.uk
An independent report, Design Coding in Practice: An Evaluation was commissioned by DCLG working with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and English Partnerships, to monitor and evaluate this national pilot.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/672/DesignCodinginPracticeAnEvaluation_id1500672.pdf
The report confirms that Mid Beds' design codes are a particularly robust form of design guidance and can play a major role in delivering better quality development and in enhancing economic value. It makes particular reference to Mid Beds' work on a Design Code at Fairfield Park stating: 'Only Fairfield Park saw the local authority take the lead role; requiring design guidance, extracting a contribution from the developer and commissioning the code. In this case, involvement of key players at an early stage helped to establish commitment to quality and tie down the multiple developers to a common vision.'
Land South of Stotfold
THis development constitutes an urban extension of 650 dwellings to the Town of Stotfold. The development secures 28% affordable housing amongst £20m of infrastructure and community benefits contained within the recently signed S106 legal agreement. The Team is currently engaged in discussions on a Masterplan and Design Code and the 1st Reserved Matters expected in Spring 2007.
Land at Marston Moretaine
Officers are currently dealing with an application for 480 dwellings and 3 hectares of employment land at the above site. The proposals include a local centre, a new lower school and community uses. To assist in delivery the Council are involved in on-going S106 discussions in parallel with application.
Home Farm, Cranfield
The Council recently considered an application for an urban extension of 371 dwellings to Cranfield which lies in the north west of the District. The development will include the provision of 28% affordable housing a new community hall. The proposal will provide significant community benefits. S106 negotiations with the developers are currently underway.
Further information regarding the proposal can be found at:
http://committees.midbeds.gov.uk/Published/C00000346/M00001213/$$ADocPackPublic.pdf - please see pages 28 – 58 of the agenda.
NIRAH project
The District could play host to the NIRAH project an ambitious and exciting proposal for a freshwater sanctuary similar to the Eden Project located in Cornwall. The promoters of the project hope to lodge an application with the County Council in the near future.
More details on the proposal can be found at:
Center Parcs
The Council recently considered an application for 5th Village from Center Parcs which would include 700 villas, a 75 bedroom hotel, two 12-18m High Centre Buildings, Retail units, Conference facilities for 500 people and 1400 space car park. Following its decision to refuse consent the Council is currently preparing evidence for a Planning Inquiry due to take place in March 2007.
Committee Papers relating to the proposal can be accessed by clicking on the following link:
http://committees.midbeds.gov.uk/Published/C00000531/M00002396/$$ADocPackPublic.pdf
Current Policy Guidance
Mid Bedfordshire Local Plan: First Review
The Council’s adopted Local Plan
Technical Planning Guidance
The Council has produced a number of technical planning guidance documents to compliment Local Plan Policy.
Design Guide for Residential Areas in Mid Beds
In March 2005 the Council adopted its Design Guide for Residential Areas in Mid Beds which is used to guide the determination of planning applications – please click on the picture below to view the document in full.
Extensions and Alterations: A Design Guide for householders
In March 2005 the Council adopted its Design Guide for Residential Areas in Mid Beds which is used to guide the determination of planning applications – click on the picture below to view this document.
Work is due to commence on the preparation of a District Wide Design Strategy as part of the LDF process encompassing all forms of development in the Summer of 2007. This will identify the character of the District and its constituent parts in terms of landscape, settlement pattern, vernacular buildings and materials.
Affordable Housing Technical Guidance
This guidance provides detailed advice to developers, landowners and others on the Council’s policies and procedures in the implementation of its affordable housing policies.
Local Development Framework (LDF) documentation
The Council has a dedicated LDF Team who are hard at work producing local policy guidance which will guide the development of the District over the next 15 years or so.
The LDF Team has produced the Local Development Scheme for Mid Bedfordshire which outlines the programme and implications of the LDF process for Mid Beds.
The LDF “suite” of documents and their anticipated adoption dates are set out below:
Development Plan Documents
Core Strategy - Oct/Nov 2008
Gypsy and Travellers - Oct/Nov 2008
Site Allocations - Feb/Mar 2010
Development Control Policies - Jun/July 2009
Supplementary Planning Documents
Planning Obligations Strategy - Jun/Jul 2007
District Wide Design Guide - Jan/Feb 2009
Conservation
With 38 Conservation Areas, 11 Registered Historic Parks & Gardens and over 1400 listed buildings, Mid Beds has a rich and varied historic environment. The main challenge we face is managing change in a sensitive way.
To assist in achieving this goal the Council has published a number of Conservation Area Reviews.
Mid Bedfordshire has a rich legacy of landscapes, parks and gardens both great and small, in public and private ownership. These significant landscapes include - Wrest Park, Woburn Abbey and Swiss Garden.
Links
www.english-heritage.org.uk/wroxet.htm
www.woburnabbey.co.uk/the_abbey/index.php
www.shuttleworth.org/swissgardens/index.htm
We trust the above has given you an exciting taste of the District where you can play a key role in successfully delivering the sustainable balance between development and preservation within our beautiful rural District.
To apply for the post please click on the following link to the Human Resources page of our main website which contains more general information on the Council as a whole.
* Download The Wixams (image/jpeg; 17kb)
* Download Fairfield Development Masterplan (image/jpeg; 17kb)
* Download Fairfield Development Key Group 1 (image/jpeg; 12kb)
* Download Fairfield Development Key Group 6 (image/jpeg; 12kb)
* Download Design Coding in Practice (image/jpeg; 3kb)
* Download Land at Marston Moretaine (image/jpeg; 35kb)
* Download Nirah (image/jpeg; 49kb)
* Download Center Parcs 1 (image/jpeg; 17kb)
* Download Center Parcs 2 (image/jpeg; 17kb)
* Download Design Guide for Residential Areas in Mid Beds (image/jpeg; 8kb)
* Download Extensions and Alterations Guide (image/jpeg; 6kb)
* Download Local Development Framework (image/jpeg; 8kb)
