Links to Districts and other useful sites
Who do you want to contact? Where do you want to go?
The following is available here:
Please note Bedfordshire County Council is not responsible for the content of the websites listed.
1.
The Planning Portal | is the first point of call for anyone who wants to find out about the planning system in England and Wales.The Planning Portal provides comprehensive advice and guidance on Planning issues, in addition to a wide range of services. It is aimed at everyone, from central government and local authorities to planning professionals and the lay person.
2. Contact the
District Councils for planning applications and enquiries for extensions/alterations to houses & applications for new buildings; extensions/alterations to industrial buildings; changes of use; and also specialist applications such as those for listed buildings, advertisements, conservation area consents and work on trees. If you have a query relating to these types of applications or would like application forms for this type of development - you must contact the relevant District directly.
Links to their Planning websites are shown below:
Bedford Borough Council|
Mid Beds District Council|
South Bedfordshire District Council|
Luton Borough Council|
3. District Council Details
The addresses and links to the main websites are here. If you do not know which District your parish is in or have a specific address please use the Which District do I contact for Planning page shown below.
Bedford Borough Council
Town Hall
St. Paul's Square
Bedford.
MK40 1SJ
Tel. (01234) 267422
Fax (01234) 221606
Text (01234) 221827
DX 5600 Bedford
Main Website:
Bedford Borough Council|
Mid Bedfordshire District Council
Priory House
Monks Walk
Chicksands
Shefford
Beds SG17 5TQ
Mid Beds contact number for all public enquiries is 08452 304040
Main Website: Mid Beds District Council|
For face to face services the public should call in at the Citizone Points of Presence (PoPs) at Woburn Street, Ampthill and Saffron Road, Biggleswade
South Bedfordshire District Council
The District Offices
High Street North
Dunstable
Bedfordshire
LU6 1LF
Tel: 01582 472222
Fax: 01582 474009
Textphone: 01582 474184
Main Website: South Bedfordshire District Council|
Luton Borough Council
Town Hall,
George Street,
Luton,
Bedfordshire,
LU1 2BQ.
Tel: 01582 546000
Main Website: Luton Borough Council|
4. The
Royal Town Planning Institiute | (RTPI) exists to advance the science and art of town planning for the benefit of the public. It is a membership organisation, and a registered charity. Most of its members are fully qualified professional planners. The RTPI recognises that the planning system can be complicated, particularly for members of the public. It is committed to providing high quality, accessible advice and information to ensure that everyone can take part effectively in the planning system.
5. The
PARSOL | (Planning and Regulatory Services Online) e-government national project is developing a range of guidelines, benchmarks, schemas, systems and toolkits to assist Local Authorities in building effective and transparent online planning and regulatory systems.
The Project is run by a consortium of Local Authorities led by Wandsworth Borough Council and financed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Support is provided by key national organisations - IDeA, RTPI, CIEH, LACORS, Planning Officers' Society, SOCITM, The Planning Inspectorate through the Planning Portal Project, HSE and the Environment Agency.
6. The
Department for Communities and Local Government| and Local Government (DCLG) was created on 5 May 2006 replacing the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). It has a remit to promote community cohesion and equality. It is responsible for housing, urban regeneration, planning and local government.
7.
'Creating better places to live: A guide to the planning system in England' was published in 2005 by the ODPM as a guide to the reformed planning system designed for members of the public. It can be viewed on the
DCLG website under
www.communities.gov.uk/Planning/Planning and Advice. |
Copies can be obtained from the following address:
DCLG Free Literature
PO Box 236
Wetherby
West Yorkshire
LS23 7NB
Telephone No. 0870 1226 236
Fax No. 0870 1226 237 (Product Code 04 HC 02563)
8. The
Planning Inspectorate | has a website which is a single point of contact on planning matters, providing a general advisory service linking the public, business and other users of the planning system to a wide range of advice, guidance and services on planning and related topics.
9. The
Government Office for the East of England| (GO-East) covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Government Offices are now part of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) which also covers regional and urban policy, local government, planning, housing and regeneration. GO-East ensures an East of England input to the policy-making process at the centre.
10. The
East of England Regional Assembly | (EERA) exists to promote the economic, social and environmental well-being of the region. It consists of a partnership of elected representatives from the 54 local authorities in the East of England and appointed representatives from social, economic and environmental interests.
11. The
Directory of Planning Consultants | is an offical directory supported by the Royal Town Planning Institute listing the services of over 400 private planning consultants in the UK and abroad. It is the main source of information on chartered Town Planning Professionals in the UK. Consultants are listed under regions, counties and local authority areas.