Council won't contest appeal over housing plan for Leighton Buzzard Garden Centre

But Central Bedfordshire Council is opting not to contest the hearing, it confirmed today (Tuesday, April 8).

The application to build housing on Leighton Buzzard Garden Centre with the loss of several small businesses led to 365 objections.

Full plans of applicant Thrive Homes for 41 properties on land south of Hockliffe Road were rejected by the local authority’s development management committee, despite a recommendation of approval from planning officers.

CBC said in a statement: “We’ve done a thorough review of the grounds of challenge presented by the developer and it’s been decided in this instance that we won’t defend the appeal.

“We don’t believe we’d be successful and it’s likely there’d be significant (legal) cost to the council in doing so.”

Leighton-Linslade Town Council, Eggington Parish Council and residents are among those who campaigned against losing the garden centre. There was a petition organised against the project and 364 other objections.

Conservative Heath and Reach councillor Mark Versallion said on social media: “I’ve spent the last fortnight in many internal meetings to get the council tofight this appeal.

“CBC believes it will lose and will have to pay costs. The £800,000 of Section 106 Infrastructure contributions might be at risk, if the appeal was lost.

“As the government is relaxing planning rules to get more homes built, this means it’s more likely the appeal will win. Is CBC really so close to bankruptcy it can no longer afford to fight planning applications?

“We don’t need another 41 more homes when we’re getting 2,500 to the east of the town already. We’ll lose a much loved garden centre and ten other businesses on the site.

“I’ve been a customer there for decades and can testify to its community value, the social and emotional well-being the garden centre provides, and its coffee shop, as well as the jobs in the other businesses.

“By not defending the applicant’s appeal, the national planning inspector wouldn’t be holding a public hearing, so all we can do is object in writing by April 30 and quote APP/0240/W25/3360168.”

The reasons for refusal were explained in a letter from CBC’s service director development and economy Andrew Davie to agents Aitchison Raffety.

“This is an unacceptable form of development by virtue of the lack of permeability and pedestrian connectivity, the restricted and unsatisfactory locations for the provision of landscaping relied upon to achieve biodiversity net gains, and the failure to suitably design out crime,” he wrote.

“This results in a scheme that doesn’t outweigh the loss of a valued community facility, which is of significant benefit to the locality, and the loss of active employment generating uses.

“In the absence of a completed legal agreement securing financial contributions, the development would have an unmitigated and unacceptable impact on local infrastructure.”

Greenhouses, a building and storage areas are contained on the three-and-a-half acre brownfield site. Councillors refused the development last summer, with seven votes against and four abstentions.