Consultation Closed

The consultation on application 26/01428/MAO closed on Tuesday 1 September 2026. The application is awaiting decision.

View on Planning Portal
Consultation Closed

The consultation on application 26/01428/MAO closed on Tuesday 1 September 2026. The application is awaiting decision.

View on Planning Portal
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Write a Strong
Planning Objection.

Quality matters more than emotion. Planning decisions are made based strictly on "material planning considerations." Here is how to ensure your voice actually counts.

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Our guided builder writes a professional objection letter for you. Choose your concerns, add your own words, and download a PDF in about 5 minutes.

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Read This First

What the council is deciding — and what it is not.

26/01428/MAO is an outline application with all matters reserved except access. That distinction matters enormously, and getting it wrong is the quickest way to have an objection set aside.

Before the council now

  • The principle of development — whether housing on this land is acceptable at all.
  • Access — whether the new junctions onto Home Road and Wood End Lane are safe and adequate.

Reserved for later

The layout of the estate, how many storeys the houses are, what they look like, where the landscaping goes. These would be decided in a separate application, only if outline permission is granted first.

The practical consequence

An objection about the appearance of the houses, or about a specific building overlooking a specific garden, will be recorded and then set aside as premature — because no such details have been submitted.

An objection about visibility at the new junctions, the capacity of these rural lanes, drainage, ecology, heritage, or whether this site is a suitable location for housing in principle goes directly to what the council must decide now. Access is the strongest ground available to us, because it is the one detailed matter the council cannot defer to a later stage or resolve with a condition.

Read the full application, including every plan and technical report the developer has submitted, on the council's planning portal. An objection that engages with what has actually been submitted carries far more weight than one that does not.

What Is a Material Consideration?

The council can only legally reject the application based on specific planning issues. Your objection must focus on these:

✓ Traffic and highway safety
✓ Scale and sustainability
✓ Flood risk and drainage
✓ Impact on character
✓ Ecology and biodiversity
✓ Cumulative development

How to Build Your Argument

Step 1 Start with a Clear Statement

Leave no room for misinterpretation. State exactly what you are doing in the first line.

"I formally object to application 26/01428/MAO, the proposed 295-dwelling outline development at Kempston Rural, for the following material planning reasons."

Step 2 Use Planning-Based Arguments

Traffic & Gibraltar Corner

  • • Increased vehicle movements
  • • Safety at constrained crossroads
  • • Construction HGV routes

Disproportionate Scale

  • • 295 homes vs existing ~225
  • • Lack of services (no shop/GP)
  • • Completely car-dependent

Loss of Rural Character

  • • Loss of green buffer land
  • • Urbanisation of countryside
  • • Settlement sprawl

Flooding & Wildlife

  • • Loss of permeable farmland
  • • Habitat & hedgerow destruction
  • • Drainage ditch capacity

Step 3 Add Personal, Local Observations

Planning officers read reports, but you live here. Grounded, local details add immense weight to your objection.

"Traffic queues already form at Gibraltar Corner during school run hours, backing up past..."
"Standing water frequently collects along Wood End Lane after heavy rain, proving the current drainage is..."
"Visibility when turning right at the junction is already severely limited by..."

The Land at Stake

The highlighted area shows the proposed development site — open agricultural land off Wood End Lane and Home Road. Two applications have already been refused for this site.

Your objection letter should reference this specific site and its impact on the surrounding area.

Aerial map showing proposed development land at Kempston Rural
Green fields at Kempston Rural
Country lane with hedgerows
Open field alongside rural road

What NOT to Say

Including these points can actually weaken your objection, as they are legally irrelevant to planning officers.

✕ "It will reduce my house value."
✕ "It will spoil my private view."
✕ "We don't want new people here."
✕ Aggressive or emotional language
✕ "The developer will make too much money."
✕ Copy-and-paste identical letters

Suggested Letter Structure

1

Clear Objection

State you object and quote reference 26/01428/MAO.

2

Scale & Sustainability

Explain why 295 homes is disproportionate to Kempston Rural.

3

Traffic & Safety

Reference Gibraltar Corner and cumulative growth in Wootton.

4

Drainage & Ecology

Highlight runoff concerns, greenfield loss, and wildlife corridors.

5

Closing Statement

Politely request refusal of the application.

Final Checklist

  • Submit your objection individually (1 per adult).
  • Include your full name and address (anonymous objections don't count).
  • Submit before Tuesday 1 September 2026 — The consultation period has closed.
  • Keep it to 1–2 pages maximum.
  • Be calm, polite, factual, and highly structured.

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