Bedford council serves its first planning enforcement warning notices

Ian Johnson, service manager (heritage and compliance) told the Planning Committee (Monday, January 20): “We’ve served our first enforcement warning notice at 10 Hollies Walk.

“[This is] a new power which came into force in April 2024 and formalises the process for the council to invite a retrospective planning application when we think there’s a reasonable prospect of planning permission being granted.

“In this case, the owners have until February 10, 2025 to comply with the requirements of the notice, which [they] either submit an application or cease the care home use.”

The council’s planning portal shows that an application to change the use of the property to a residential care home for up to four users with learning disabilities was refused in July 2021.

The portal also shows that in February 2022 it also refused to issue a certificate “to confirm that the details submitted do not require planning permission”

The details submitted were the use of the property as a private dwelling house for use for a group of four adults (aged between 18-65) living together as a single household with non-residential staff to supervise the residents on a 24 hour shift system.

The report presented to the committee added that officers have also served an enforcement notice on The Jackal, 3, High Street, Thurleigh.

This is in relation to the use of the land for the stationing of a caravan for residential use and the creation of hardstanding.

The owner now has five months to remove the caravan and hardstanding.