B&M in Bedford told to take down 'garish' window vinyls after appeal

It was one of a series of recent actions to address planning breaches and neglected sites across the borough.

Councillors were told at this month’s planning committee (October 13) that the notice, which relates to the B&M store on Midland Road, has been confirmed by the planning inspectorate.

The report presented to the committee said the inspector found that the vinyls have a “bleak and visually uninteresting appearance” and the fascias have a “garish, prominent and obtrusive appearance” that did not preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the Bedford Conservation Area

The retailer must now remove the existing vinyls and signs and is in discussions with the council about a replacement scheme that complies with planning rules.

Enforcement notices are issued when development or signage breaches planning control. If an appeal is lodged and subsequently dismissed, the notice takes effect and the council can pursue further action if it is not complied with.

In a separate case, the council has issued an untidy land notice against the former Phoenix pub on St John’s Street, requiring the owner to tidy the building’s external elevations and repair the roof.

Untidy land notices are used where the condition of land or buildings is judged to harm the local area’s appearance.

The update came as part of the committee’s quarterly planning appeals and enforcement report, which also highlighted that the council had received 106 new complaints and closed 109 cases during the last quarter.

Planning enforcement rarely attracts the same attention as major planning applications. But councillors praised the enforcement team’s work on cases such as B&M and the Phoenix pub, highlighting the role it plays in tackling unauthorised development and improving the borough’s appearance.

“We’d be lost without them,” councillor Leigh Coombs (Lib Dem, Shortstown) told the Committee.