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Dismissed22 January 20253340444

The Royal George, 57 HIgh Street, Stagsden, Bedford, MK43 8SG

Planning appeal 3340444 at The Royal George, 57 HIgh Street, Stagsden, Bedford, MK43 8SG (Bedford Borough Council) was dismissed on 22 January 2025 by Inspector Catcheside E, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether or not the proposed change of use is justified, having regard to development plan policies for retaining local facilities.

change of use and alteration of former pub building to create dwelling, construct new dwelling in former car park area

Authority
Bedford Borough Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Written Representations
Development
residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector
Catcheside E
Postcode
MK43 8SG

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • whether or not the proposed change of use is justified, having regard to development plan policies for retaining local facilities
  • the effect of the proposal on highway safety and bus stop facilities, with particular regard to visitor parking and site access arrangements
  • whether the settings of nearby listed buildings would be preserved, and the effect of the proposal on a non-designated heritage asset (NDHA)
  • the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The harm to highway safety and bus stop provision caused by two dropped kerbs in very close proximity to an existing bus stop, with unresolved uncertainty over bus stop relocation, outweighed the modest housing benefits in the context of the tilted balance.

The modest benefits of delivering two dwellings on previously developed land and contributing to housing supply were outweighed by the significant adverse impacts on highway safety and bus stop facilities, when assessed against the Framework taken as a whole.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy 83Policy 5SPolicy 31Policy 41SPolicies 28SPolicy 29Policy 30
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11

How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.

See how each was applied

The decision letter

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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.