Residents across Bedfordshire can now have their say on a new plan that will help guide where materials needed to build homes and roads come from, and how waste is managed in the future.
The first public scoping consultation on the new Bedfordshire Minerals and Waste Plan is now live and runs until 27 November 2026.
Led by us, the joint plan is being prepared in partnership with Bedford Borough Council and Luton Borough Council and will look ahead to 2050.
Although the name sounds technical, the plan deals with things that are part of everyday life. Materials such as sand and gravel are needed to build homes, roads and other infrastructure, while homes and businesses also produce waste that needs to be managed.
The plan will cover places such as quarries and sand and gravel pits, sites where building materials are processed or stored, and different types of waste-management facilities.
At this stage, we are not asking people to comment on specific sites or a finished plan and no decisions have been made about where future sites should go.
Instead, the consultation is asking what the new plan should consider as it develops.
This could include views on what matters most to local communities and what should be taken into account when planning for future mineral extraction, the processing and storage of materials and waste facilities before more detailed proposals are developed.
The new plan will ultimately help identify what Bedfordshire is likely to need in the future, where different types of minerals and waste development may be needed and the policies future proposals will need to meet.
It will also help us consider potential impacts on local communities, roads, the environment and Bedfordshire’s towns and countryside.
Feedback received will help shape the next stages of the plan, with further opportunities for people to have their say as it develops.
Councillor Adam Zerny, Leader of Central Bedfordshire Council, said:
It's important for the council to hear what people think as this plan develops. The decisions taken will affect local communities, in particular with regard to roads, planning, and the environment. I encourage residents, businesses and community groups across Bedfordshire to take a look and tell the council what matters to them.