Bedford councillors 'flabbergasted' at housing development 'dumped on Wilstead'
A senior Bedford borough councillor said members were “flabbergasted” after discovering developers had not engaged with a parish council.
The council’s planning committee (Monday, April 27) was considering a reserved matters planning application for 95 new homes on land at Village Farm, Cotton End Road, Wilstead, covering layout, appearance, scale and landscaping.
It granted outline planning permission in November 2025, so the proposed development was “supported in principle”.
But the committee criticised the developer’s lack of engagement with local representatives.
Councillor Marc Frost (Conservative, Wixams and Wilstead), speaking as a ward councillor, said the development had been “dumped on Wilstead”.
“I’m not saying that they’ve made no effort whatsoever, but a lot more could have been done,” he said.
He added that it was “a suburban car-led housing estate” which failed to reflect the village’s character.
Asked what engagement had taken place with the parish council, John Wilbraham, planning manager at Bloor Homes, said: “We’ve not engaged with the parish prior to submission.”
Committee chair, councillor Jonathan Abbott (Lib Dem, Clapham and Oakley) said: “Can you give me some reasoning behind that thought process? Why you honestly think that is a good idea?
“Because you’ve got eight councillors sat here, three ward councillors who are quite frankly flabbergasted.”
“I never said it was a good idea, I just said we didn’t do it, chair,” Mr Wilbraham replied.
The meeting also turned into a wider challenge to the planning process after members were told key parts of the scheme had already been set by the outline permission.
Councillor Abbott questioned why the committee was debating an updated planning application for the development as it had limited power to make changes.
“What is the point of us sitting here and just having given half an hour of our life to discover we can’t change anything?” he asked.
Rachel Duncan, principal planner at the council, said the developer was “tied into” the general layout because of the parameter plan agreed at outline stage.
“The position of the built form is set in stone,” she added.
Despite an officer recommendation for approval, councillors pushed for more time so the applicant could speak to the parish council and ward councillors.
After a brief adjournment, officers confirmed the applicant had agreed an extension of time until June 19.
The committee then unanimously voted to defer the application.