Interchange Park, Bedford

The Council were concerned about the impact of the proposal on surrounding District and Local Centres. But SP&D successfully argued that the role of those centres was to offer services to local people, e.g. hairdressers, cafes and takeaways, which was distinct from the application proposal. We also made the point that the offer in local convenience stores was very different to M&S so there would be no overlap and thus no impact. In tandem with the planning arguments we played on the aspirational nature of the M&S brand to garner political support.

The regional scale car dealership was looking at a number of potential development sites. We met senior officers at the Council to highlight the benefits of the scheme in terms of jobs, investment and raising the profile of the town. Having their support for the principle of development helped secure the tenant for the developer. It also helped ensure that the planning application was dealt with promptly and ultimately that the building could be delivered on time.