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Allowed26 May 20266003949

Land Adjacent to Sheffield House, South-west of Ampthill Road (B530), Houghton Conquest, MK45 3JJ

Planning appeal 6003949 at Land Adjacent to Sheffield House, South-west of Ampthill Road (B530), Houghton Conquest, MK45 3JJ (Bedford Borough Council) was allowed on 26 May 2026 by Inspector Gilbert-Wooldridge T, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area.

demolition of the existing buildings and redevelopment for a 65-bed care home and associated access, parking and landscaping

Authority
Bedford Borough Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Written Representations
Development
community-institutional · Other Major Developments
Inspector
Gilbert-Wooldridge T

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
  • highway safety and accessibility
  • parking provision

What decided it

The lack of a five-year housing land supply for both councils triggered the tilted balance under NPPF paragraph 11(d), and the significant benefits of delivering a 65-bed care home to address identified local needs and achieving substantial biodiversity net gain outweighed the moderate conflict with Policy 7S on community support.

The benefits of delivering a 65-bed care home to address identified local needs (significant weight), biodiversity net gain of nearly 70% in habitat units and over 520% in hedgerow units (significant weight), reuse of previously developed land (moderate weight), economic benefits from construction and operation (moderate weight), and public transport improvements (moderate weight) outweighed the moderate weight conflict with Bedford Borough Policy 7S regarding identifiable community support, resulting in permission being granted under the tilted balance.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015-2035 Policy HQ1Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015-2035 Policy EE5Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015-2035 Policy SP7Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015-2035 Policy T1Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015-2035 Policy T2Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015-2035 Policy T3Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015-2035 Policy T4Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015-2035 Policy EE9Central Bedfordshire Local Plan 2015-2035 Policy HQ2Bedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 7SBedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 28SBedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 29Bedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 30Bedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 2SBedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 31Bedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 60Bedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 33Bedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 36SBedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 59SBedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 86SBedford Borough Local Plan 2030 Policy 87
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11Paragraph 12Paragraph 9Paragraph 58

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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More decisions in Bedford Borough Council

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026

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  4. Dismissed23 July 20266008879
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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.