Langford Road, Langford

In November 2023, an outline planning application was submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council for the development of up to 170 homes, including affordable housing, public open space, landscaping, a sustainable drainage system, and vehicular access.

The application was refused by the council in February 2024, citing 7 reasons for refusal including an incursion into the open countryside, highways as well as archaeological and ecological impacts.

We maintained that these issues could be addressed and that the proposal constituted a sustainable extension to the village. Confident in the merits of the scheme, an appeal was submitted to the Planning Inspector in May 2024.

In November 2024, the appeal was allowed with the Inspector concluding that the benefits of the proposal, combined with the lack of a demonstrable 5 year housing land supply, outweighed the identified harms, and the scheme was deemed a sustainable residential development that could be delivered in the short term.