Planning Charter

Mid Beds District Council aims to improve the local environment through its development plan and provide an effective planning and building control service.  Mid Beds District Council's Development Control Team deals with proposed development and planning applications for new building, house extensions, advertising signage throughout the district.  It is divided into two teams covering the East and West of the District, together with an Enforcement Section, which investigates contraventions of planning permissions (see our leaflets "Planning Enforcement" and "Enforcement Investigations").  

Our Standards 

Mid Beds District Council Planning Section aims to:

• decide 72% of minor planning applications within eight weeks
• resolve 88% of other planning applications within eight weeks
• undertake all building control inspections within 24 hours, if received before 10am, or the next day if received after 10am
• register and acknowledge 90% of all building regulation applications within 48 hours
• inspect dangerous structures within two hours of notification where received during office hours and within 4 hours outside office hours
• begin investigating planning enforcement complaints within three days and report back within 21 days
• check full 90% of building regulations applications within 15 days
• despatch 90% of planning committee decisions within 48 hours
• respond to site specific planning enquiries within 10 days
• reach a decision on tree preservation orders within eight weeks
• make hedgerow regulation decisions within six weeks
• decide applications on tree work in conservation areas within six weeks
• give arboriculture advice within 14 days
• carry out site visits within three working days of receiving a complaint, if required
• make an initial assessment of planning enforcement complaint cases within 10 days of receipt of a complaint
• restrict departures from the Local Plan to below 0.7% of all planning decisions granted a year