Bedford council approves its own planning application to turn dental surgery into housing - despite officers' objections

Last night’s Planning Committee (Monday, March 24) approved the change of use of 190 Putnoe Street, Bedford from a dental surgery to housing.

The committee heard that the intended use is for temporary housing, but as this can’t be controlled by a planning condition, the application has been assessed as a C3 residential dwelling.

Gideon Richards, manager for development management (planning), said: “The application proposes a three-bed unit which is of adequate size.”

He added that the council’s highway officer objected to the application as it doesn’t provide any dedicated car and cycle parking spaces.

The council’s waste service officer also objected to the application based on the 63 metre “drag distance” to the nearest highway.

Mr Richards said there is access to the communal public parking spaces on the wider site owned by the council, and a “number of public car parks in the immediate vicinity”.

He added that the council, for “a number of years” has collected other residential and commercial bins from land immediately adjacent to the site.

“When balancing the benefits and harms arising for the proposal, it’s not considered that the harms would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits in this case,” he said.

Councillor Jim Weir (Conservative, Great Denham) said: “I sometimes hear from members of the public that the council’s already made its mind up on lots of things and all departments fall in line with each other.

“Well, I think this application, which was objected to by the highways officer and objected to by the waste services officer, lays that to one side.”