Should you move or improve?: Apparently Bedford is the worst place to renovate in the UK

With Brits currently facing a time of economic uncertainty – especially when it comes to skyrocketing mortgage rates – it’s little wonder Google searches for ‘extension’ and ‘renovation’ are up 22%.

But while the idea of making home improvements may seem like a sensible alternative to moving house right now, seems it’s not so straightforward in Bedford.

According to home insurer Homeprotect, Bedford is the hardest place to renovate in the UK after it looked into 308 councils’ planning permission practices between 2013-2023.

In the last 10 years, just 25% of its 1,373 planning permission applications were decided within eight weeks, with only 59% approved at all.

But Bedford Borough Council doesn't recognise the report's figures and claims it is "well ahead" of government targets.

A council spokesperson said: "The eight-week timeframe referred to has an associated government target for 70% of minor applications to be determined within that period. However, that eight-week period is open to extension if both the applicant and the council agree.

"This could be for a number of reasons, including, for example, a request for the applicant to provide further information in order to avoid the refusal of their application. The council’s performance on this measure in 2023/24 was 88%, well ahead of the government’s 70% target.”

Homeprotect said it ranked planning authorities by how quickly they made planning permission decisions, and separately by how likely they were to approve planning permission requests.

It then combined these rankings to work out which councils had the best blend of both speed and likeliness of approval when it comes to planning permission applications.

You can read the full study here

David Joyson, chief customer officer at Homeprotect, said: “With the UK currently facing a cost-of-living crisis, renovating rather than moving might be the best solution for many.

“Yet, as the study reveals, this may not be so easy for some due to lengthy delays or outright planning permission refusals.”