The Government introduced a new system of preparing development plans under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (2004). The Bedfordshire and Luton Minerals and Waste Local Plan (2005) is to be replaced with a Minerals and Waste Development Framework (MWDF) which is being jointly prepared by Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire Council and Luton Borough Councils as Minerals and Waste Planning Authorities (MWPAs).

Work on preparing a replacement for the Bedfordshire and Luton Minerals and Waste Local Plan was commenced by the former Bedfordshire County Council in 2006, working with Luton Borough Council. At that time the intention was to produce separate Core Strategy and Site Allocation development plan documents (DPDs) for both minerals and waste issues. Following local government reorganisation it was agreed that the shared service would be established which would prepare a single Minerals and Waste Core Strategy for the Plan area in place of the four DPDs previously proposed. 

The Minerals and Waste Development Framework for Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton Borough Councils

The Minerals and Waste Development Framework is a portfolio of documents which together will guide minerals and waste development within the Plan area. It will comprise:

Minerals and Waste Local Plan

Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2005 (PDF 529KB)

Map 1 (PDF 8.8MB)

Map 2 (PDF 9.1MB)

Map 3 (PDF 8.8MB)

Map 4 (PDF 556KB)

The Minerals and Waste Local Plan has been developed through several preceding consultation documents which can be accessed by clicking on the links below. These are:

Issues and Options Minerals Sites Allocations consultation: February – March 2006:

• Sites 1-10 (PDF 1.8MB) 
• Sites 11-20 (PDF 1.4MB) 
• Sites 21-30b (PDF 1.8MB)  
• Sites 31- 46b (PDF 2.8MB)

Supplementary Issues Minerals Core Strategy consultation: Spring 2007 (PDF 145KB)

Supplementary Issues Minerals Sites Allocations consultation: Spring 2007 (PDF 2.8MB)

Preferred Options Minerals Core Strategy consultation: September - October 2007 (PDF 2.7MB)

Report Preferred Options Minerals Core Strategy consultation: September - October 2007 (PDF 92KB)

Preferred Options Minerals Site Allocations consultation: September - October 2007 (PDF 8.1MB)

Report Preferred Options Minerals Site Allocations consultation: September - October 2007 (PDF 116KB)

Supplementary Mineral Site – Clipstone (MD50) - consultation: April - June 2008 (PDF 1020KB)

Issues and Options Waste Core Strategy consultation: October - November 2007 (PDF 719KB)

Preferred Options Waste Core Strategy consultation: June - July 2010 (PDF 3.8MB)

Mineral Safeguarding Areas: February – April 2011:

• Consultation document (PDF 3.8MB)
• Map 1 (PDF 1.6MB)
• Map 2 (PDF 1.6MB)
• Map 3 (PDF 1.6MB)
• Map preferred option (PDF 3.2MB)
• Mineral safeguarding areas preferred (PDF 1.6MB)
• Sustainability appraisal (PDF 165KB)
• Sustainability appraisal appendix (PDF 188KB)

Minerals and Waste Core Strategy Plan for submission see the latest information

Minerals preferred options core strategy - Issues raised (PDF 92KB)

Minerals preferred options site allocations - Issues raised (PDF 116KB)

MSA issues raised (PDF 386KB)

Waste core strategy and recommended responses May 2011 (PDF 1.5MB)

A key objective of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act is to encourage meaningful stakeholder and public involvement throughout the planning process. The Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) provides an overview of the ways in which the public can get involved in both the determination of planning applications and key stages in the preparation of the Minerals and Waste Development Framework within the Plan area. The SCI for Minerals and Waste was adopted by the former Bedfordshire County Council on 12th October 2006, and covers the whole of the Plan area (Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton Borough Councils) with respect to minerals and waste planning.

The Statement of Community Involvement, the Inspectors Report and the formal notice of Adoption are all available to download below.

Statement of community involvement (PDF 628KB)

Adoption statement (PDF 37KB)

Statement of community involvement inspectors report (PDF 212KB)

Inspectors report appendices (PDF 405KB)

Statement of pre-submission consultation (PDF 768KB)

The government requires a strategic environmental assessment/sustainability appraisal (SEA/SA) of each of the development plan documents within the Minerals and Waste Development Framework to be carried out, and the appraisal process is central to the process of preparing the plan. SEA/SA is an integral part of the preparation of documents; and assesses any potential social, environmental, and economic effects and to ensure policies reflect sustainable development principles. Sustainability Appraisal involves testing the Minerals and Waste Development Framework against an agreed set of economic, social and environmental criteria throughout the preparation process.

Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedford Borough Council and Luton Borough Council have appointed independent consultants ENVIRON to undertake the sustainability appraisal of the minerals and waste core strategy.

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires every local authority to produce an Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) setting out information relating to:

• The status of Development Plans and their replacement through the Framework
• Planning applications
• Policy usage 
• Core indicators
• Minerals
• Waste
• Problems that need to be addressed before the next annual monitoring report

Each Annual Monitoring Report informs the public concerning the applications determined and progress made on the Minerals and Waste Development Framework.

The AMR 2012 summary report (PDF 14KB)

The annual monitoring report for 2011/12 (PDF 9.3MB)

Previous AMRs can be viewed by clicking on the links below

The annual monitoring report for 2010/11 (PDF 339KB)

(PDF 339KB)

The annual monitoring report for 2009/10 (PDF 350KB)

The annual monitoring report for 2008/09 (PDF 216KB)

The annual monitoring report for 2007/08 (PDF 366KB)

The annual monitoring report for 2006/7 (PDF 372KB) 

The annual monitoring report for 2005/6  (PDF 426KB)

The annual monitoring report for 2004/2005 (PDF 195KB) 

The Minerals and Waste Development Scheme outlines the development plan documents, as well as other documents that will be produced by the Councils in their role as Minerals and Waste Planning Authorities (MWPAs). It provides the timetable for each stage of Minerals and Waste Development Framework preparation process. Due to the changing national and local circumstances, the Minerals and Waste Local Development Scheme has been revised again. The new Local Development Scheme reflects revised anticipated timescales, and how changes to the planning system at a national level are bringing about the need for further revisions to the timetable within the Local Development Scheme.

Minerals and Waste Local Development Scheme 2012 (PDF 440KB)

This is the Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2005, which covers Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton Borough Councils.

Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2005 (PDF 529KB)

Map 1 (PDF 6.8MB)

Map 2 (PDF 6.6MB)

Map 3 (PDF 6.9MB)

Map 4 Strategic Highway Network (PDF 556KB)