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Planning index search

'How To Guide' (8) - How to use the Planning Card Index

The Planning Card Index holds information on applications from 1948 to 2005. You can carry out a search by selecting the following:

AREA: Village or Town
LAND: House number or plot number
ADDRESS 1: Name of house / estate / building etc.
ADDRESS 2: Name of street / road etc.
NAME: Name of applicant
REFERENCE: Application number (if searching for a pre-1975 application we recommend you search by the address)
RESOLUTION: Decision type e.g. Refused / Approved etc.
IMAGE: Unique number of scanned image (to have this you must have already carried out a search or had someone search on your behalf)
DESCRIPTION: Application proposal (it is advised to leave this section blank unless you know the exact search wording)

When carrying out a search it is sometimes better to input as little information as possible. For example, if you wanted to search for a refused permission in 1984 at 22 Bedford Road, Wootton you would input the following:

AREA – Wootton

ADDRESS 2 – Bedford R

Click SEARCH

By doing this it will bring up the most results and you are more likely to find the card you require. Sometimes the house number is under the ADDRESS 1 section instead of the LAND section which will mean that you will not find the card.

BY INPUTTING LESS YOU WILL FIND MORE!

You may have noticed that when typing in the ADDRESS 2 section the full wording is not used. It is better to type ‘R’ instead of ‘Road’, ‘S’ instead of ‘Street’, ‘C’ instead of ‘Close’ etc. as this will also bring up more results.

When searching for a common address e.g. High Street always use the AREA section otherwise the search results will be hundreds of pages long!

If you wish to see the original card click on select.

Please note: All decision notices are available on-line however if you wish to view pre-1995 plans and other correspondence you need to go to the Customer Service Centre on Horne Lane, Bedford as they are ONLY available on microfiche. If you wish to pre-arrange a visit please call 01234 718068 so they can have the microfiche ready when you arrive.

Also for any applications dated between 1948 – 1975 please note that following codes to give to the Customer Service Centre:

BRDC – Bedford Rural District Council (relevant to any villages, including Kempston Rural)

KUDC – Kempston Urban District Council (relevant to Kempston Town only)

BTP - Bedford Town Planning (relevant to Bedford Town only – the decisions were kept in sheet order from the register and not in application number order)