How to pay the county council
In the majority of a cases work will be undertaken and an invoice detailing the charges for the work raised and sent to you. We do recommend that in these cases you wait for the invoice - this will ensure you pay the correct fee. Your invoice will give you details on how to pay but the options are listed below for your information.
For Planning Applications & Road Adoptions specific details are shown below.
Bedfordshire County Council currently offers its customers the following options to pay their invoices:
1. Through the internet - On-line payments - Access our On-line payments| (new window) facility which can currently be used for if you have an invoice from Bedfordshire County Council.
2. By Direct Debit – Please complete a 
Direct debit mandate| (PDF document opens in new window) with your customer number and bank details. It should then be posted to: Income Services, County Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford MK42 9AP
3. By Telephone – If you have an invoice Debit/Credit Card payments may be made over the telephone on 0845 0781195. This is an automated telephone payment system you must have an invoice number to pay in this way.
4. By post to Bedfordshire County Council, County Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford MK42 9AP. Cheques and Postal Orders should be crossed and made payable to Bedfordshire County Council, and accompanied by the giro slip at the bottom of your invoice. Cash should only be sent in exceptional circumstances and by registered post.
5. At a bank using the giro slip at the bottom of the invoice. Even if you do not have a bank account, on payment of a fee, you may still pay in cash or cheques at any branch of any bank using the giro slip at the bottom of the invoice.
6. If you are using online banking you will need to use the following details. Please ensure you also quote either your 10 digit invoice number or customer number as the reference:
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Bank Account Name: Bedfordshire County Council
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Sort Code: 60 - 02 - 13
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Account No. 51310600
Planning Applications
How much does a Planning Application cost?
Planning Application Fees vary according to the development proposed and are set nationally. Amended fees came into force on 1 April 2008. Details of charges for our regular services including Planning Application Fees are listed on our Charges for our Services page.
We recommend that due to the complex nature of the planning applications we deal with and their associated fees you contact us & gain pre-application advice in the majority of cases. This pre-application advice will ensure you pay the correct fee. However if you decide to pay prior to contacting us the options are listed below for your information.
Refund policy
Please note with a few exceptions (see below) planning applications have to be accompanied by a fee which is set nationally by central government.
The fee for a planning application is not refundable unless the application is invalid. In cases where refunds are appropriate, refunds are at the discretion of the County Council.
If the county council fails to determine your application or if you submit a valid application and then withdraw it, the fee is not refundable.
In some cases applications do not require a fee eg. where a previous application has been refused one further application by the same applicant for the same development on the same site can generally be made free of charge if submitted within 12 months of the earlier decision.
Ways to pay for a Planning Application
The easiest way to pay for a Planning Application being dealt with by the County Council is to pay by Cheque. Please make your cheque payable to 'Bedfordshire County Council' and send to:
The Development Planning and Control Section
County Hall
Cauldwell Street
Bedford
MK42 9AP
OR
If making the Payment for a Planning Application online - directly through your bank account , or the BACS system, please use the banking details below and quote 'Planning Fees' as the reference number in all instances.
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Bank Account Name: Bedfordshire County Council
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Sort Code: 60 - 02 - 13
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Account No. 51310600
You must inform us that you have paid in this way so that we can trace your payment as soon as possible
Road Adoptions:
A fee of 7.5% of the value of the highway works is normally required and a fee to cover the legal costs in preparing a Section 38 Agreement.
If a developer begins work on the road before a Section 38 Agreement is in place then this fee raises to 10% to cover the inspection and checking costs.
We recommend that due to the complexities involved in adopting a road and the associated fees you contact us in the first instance so that we can advise you on the process and the cost of the work. This advice will ensure you pay the correct fee.
However if you decide to pay prior to contacting us you can pay by Cheque or online using the BACS system. Details are as listed above. If paying by BACS please quote 'Rd Adopt [name of the road]' as the reference number.