Greyfriars consultation

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View of Greyfriars tower blocks in Bedford

Bedford Borough Council’s emerging Local Plan 2040 (consulted on last year) includes Greyfriars as an opportunity for regeneration and the development of new homes.

The Council and bpha are able to use their own land and buildings to stimulate regeneration of key town centre locations and build high quality urban neighbourhoods.

In building new homes and replacing existing ones, bpha and the Council will want to take a long term view by providing homes that fit well into the neighbourhood, are of high quality, are environmentally sustainable and will stand the test of time.

Vision for the future of Greyfriars

After hearing your views, we have prepared the following aspirations for the future of Greyfriars. It will:

  • Be delivered through working in partnership with existing residents, landowners, other stakeholders, and the wider community.
  • Make the best use of the Partnerships’ assets.
  • Be well-connected and safe. The site’s central location presents the opportunity to enhance safe sustainable travel to the town centre and nearby facilities.
  • Be a sustainable new neighbourhood. Public land ownership means the site offers an opportunity to demonstrate sustainable design, and target net zero carbon development.
  • Be diverse. The redevelopment offers the opportunity for new housing types and tenures appropriate for meeting the existing residents’ needs as well as new demand to create a mixed and balanced community.
  • Be a green place. The outside space will be an integral part of the new neighbourhood and street scenes, and incorporates lessons learned from living in the pandemic.


You can find up to date information on the proposals and an opportunity to share your views on the council's website:

https://www.bedford.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/greyfriars-north-supplementary-planning-document








Bedford Borough Council’s emerging Local Plan 2040 (consulted on last year) includes Greyfriars as an opportunity for regeneration and the development of new homes.

The Council and bpha are able to use their own land and buildings to stimulate regeneration of key town centre locations and build high quality urban neighbourhoods.

In building new homes and replacing existing ones, bpha and the Council will want to take a long term view by providing homes that fit well into the neighbourhood, are of high quality, are environmentally sustainable and will stand the test of time.

Vision for the future of Greyfriars

After hearing your views, we have prepared the following aspirations for the future of Greyfriars. It will:

  • Be delivered through working in partnership with existing residents, landowners, other stakeholders, and the wider community.
  • Make the best use of the Partnerships’ assets.
  • Be well-connected and safe. The site’s central location presents the opportunity to enhance safe sustainable travel to the town centre and nearby facilities.
  • Be a sustainable new neighbourhood. Public land ownership means the site offers an opportunity to demonstrate sustainable design, and target net zero carbon development.
  • Be diverse. The redevelopment offers the opportunity for new housing types and tenures appropriate for meeting the existing residents’ needs as well as new demand to create a mixed and balanced community.
  • Be a green place. The outside space will be an integral part of the new neighbourhood and street scenes, and incorporates lessons learned from living in the pandemic.


You can find up to date information on the proposals and an opportunity to share your views on the council's website:

https://www.bedford.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/greyfriars-north-supplementary-planning-document








  • Join our community panel

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    To get ready for more discussions on the proposals for Greyfriars, we're looking for up to 10 customers from across the blocks at Greyfriars to join a Community Panel. This panel will help guide the regeneration process, making sure your voices are heard and that you can influence any proposals. The panel will meet regularly with the bpha Project Team to help guide the consultation with wider community to make sure as many people as possible are able to get involved.

    As well as the opportunity to share your views and influence any proposals, as an added incentive for you to join the panel and in line with our other bpha engagement groups, we will offer Love to Shop vouchers for when members attended panel meetings.

    Why get involved?

    • Be a decision-maker: Your ideas and opinions will help shape the project, making sure it reflects what your community truly wants and needs.

    • Transform your neighbourhood: Play a key role in creating a vibrant, welcoming, and improved living space for everyone.

    • Learn and grow: Gain new skills in leadership, negotiation, and project management while having fun and making a difference.

    • Meet new people: Connect with fellow residents, local leaders, and planners. Who knows, you might make some lifelong friends!

    • Make a positive impact: There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of seeing your contributions come to life and knowing you’ve made a positive impact.

    • Community voice: Ensure that everyone in your community, especially those who are often unheard, has a say in about the future of the area

    The panel will be supported by an independent advisor and one of the first jobs of the panel will be to choose who this advisor will be. We are also keen that the panel helps us choose an architect that the community can work with to draw up more detailed proposals.

    To be clear, no decision has been made yet about whether the regeneration project will go ahead. Setting up this panel is just a first step to make sure we're prepared.

    If you're interested in joining the community panel or if you have any questions or concerns, please email customervoice@bpha.org.uk or call 0330 100 0272. Your input is important to us, and we look forward to working together to shape the community's future.

  • Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation

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    Thank you to all those who got involved in the consultation on the Greyfriars development brief, which showed the proposed redevelopment and told us what you thought. We received some great feedback and helpful comments about the plans which influenced the final version of the document which was recently approved by Bedford Borough Council.

    The Brief sets out the vision for the future of the area, along with aims and principles which will guide any regeneration.

    The approval of the Greyfriars Development Brief by the Council is an important step in the regeneration of the area but there is still much to be done before anything happens and no final decisions have been made by bpha.

    We would like to work with you to continue to develop regeneration proposals for the area and to understand how any changes might affect you and your family. There will be further opportunities in the Autumn for you to let us know what you think and how they should be developed as we start to look at designs in more detail. This will involve looking at the design of new homes, and new blocks, as well as public areas such as new streets, gardens, and squares and much more.

    Your views are important to ensure that regeneration of the area meets your needs and aspirations for the future and so that we can address any concerns that you may have.

    We look forward to working with you, in the meantime if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the team by emailing info@bpha.org.uk or calling 0330 100 0272.

  • Summary of Previous Engagement

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    Two consultation events were held in-person at the base of the residential blocks at Greyfriars on 21 June and 25 June. We also published the engagement boards on the bpha website, and Bedford Borough Council website, with a questionnaire for people to fill in.

    Below are the responses we received on a range of issues and potential solutions, as well as considerations for any future redevelopment.

  • Greyfriars consultation - Listening to your views

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    On 21 and 25 June Greyfriars residents joined bpha and Bedford Borough Council to find out more about our proposed plans for the area.

    The consultation was an opportunity to share the Council’s local plan 2040, which includes the redevelopment of Greyfriars. To create new homes and improve the attractiveness of the area.

    Residents were invited to share their thoughts and ideas on what the area could become, as well as what makes a great home and what they would like to see in their neighbourhood. It was great to chat to everyone and get their suggestions.

    The consultation is the first stage in a long process of planning and design. And more opportunities for discussion will take place as plans progress.

    If you are a Greyfriars resident and would like to keep up to date with the proposed plans, please check back regularly.

    We will update with the latest information on the planning and design process, along with timelines for each stage. There will also be lots of opportunities for you to feedback your views through polls surveys and our interactive map.


Page last updated: 21 Feb 2025, 11:18 AM