The Railway Swan House Station Road Turvey Bedford Bedfordshire MK43 8BH Data via plota.co.uk

Proposal

Application for the change of use of the ground floor of Swan House from office use (Use Class E(g)(i)) to a GP Medical Centre (Use Class E(e)), together with a single-storey rear extension to support the proposed clinical accommodation with associated parking and landscape provision. The proposal also includes the demolition of the existing outbuilding (currently Class B1 office) and the construction of a new two-bedroom bungalow within the curtilage of the site. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
15 Jun 2026
✓
Validated
17 Jun 2026
✓
Consultation
24 Jun 2026
✗
Refused
2 Oct 2026
Appeal
Not lodged

Refused on 2 Oct 2026 · Officers (Delegated) · Last checked 2 Oct 2026

Site constraints 2

Agricultural land, grade 2
Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s), which most planning maps still show, had this area as grade 3. The predicted grade is Defra's current estimate; only a site survey settles it.
Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.
Also on the record
1 listed building within 150 m.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Council
Bedford
Application type
Full Planning
Postcode
MK43 8BH
Received
15 Jun 2026
Validated
17 Jun 2026
Ward
Bromham
Parish
Turvey
Case officer
Show
Target decision
2 Oct 2026
Decision
Refuse Permission
Decision date
2 Oct 2026
Decision level
Officers (Delegated)
Applicant
Show
Agent
KK Architects LTD - Ms A Ngai

How this decision compares

Decided in 107 days from validation, 34 days slower than Bedford's median of 73 for changes of use. Refused, as 34% of changes of use here are.

39%decided within 8 weeks
66%approved
12%go to committee

Plota live figures for changes of use decided by Bedford in the last twelve months, from validation. Bedford decision record →

Public comments

6comments received
5 objecting1 neutral

83% object · above the UK average of 74%

5 neighbours consulted · Last counted 2 Oct 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-15006928
Planning Portal ref
PP-15006928
Neighbours
24 Jun 2026
Consultation
24 Jun 2026
Comments by
15 Jul 2026
Site or press notice
24 Jun 2026
Env. assessment
No
Bedford
Planning Authority Score
2.4/10
Poor
#253 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Bedford is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #201 out of 296. 52% of applications have the time limit extended, above the 41% national average. Householder applications are slightly less likely to be approved here (86%) than the national average (90%).

Slower than most councils
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Bedford decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
80%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #259 of 296
86%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #239 of 296
56%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #201 of 296
52%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #233 of 296
52%
Minor dwellings approved
109 decided (1-9 homes)
69%
Major dwellings approved
26 decided (10+ homes)
67%
Change of use approved
57 decided
993
Total decisions
203 refused in the year to March 2026

Freehold boundary: © Crown copyright and database rights 2026, HM Land Registry. Polygons © Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey 100026316. Conditions of use