What the houses are like

Ampthill is best known for its Georgian centre. The Market Square, Church Street, Bedford Street and Dunstable Street carry a high concentration of handsome eighteenth and nineteenth century buildings, and the conservation area was first designated in 1969, later extended westward to take in Ampthill Park. Modern housing sits behind and around that historic core.

Planning authority: Central Bedfordshire Council

Brick retaining wall and paved front approach with new steps

Working in the historic centre

In these streets the details that tend to attract attention are roof pitch, window proportion and brick character. Anything visible from the street is generally looked at closely, and a fair number of the buildings are listed, which brings listed building consent into play as a separate consent alongside planning permission.

For a project of any substance in the town centre, pre-application advice from Central Bedfordshire Council is usually time well spent. It is a good deal cheaper to find out early than to redraw after a refusal. We are happy to work alongside an architect or heritage consultant where the building warrants it.

Greensand and the ground

Ampthill sits on the greensand ridge, so ground conditions can change noticeably over a short distance, from free draining sand to the heavier clays of the vale below. That has a bearing on foundation design and on how surface water is dealt with. As always it is confirmed on site, with Building Control inspecting before concrete is poured.