Bedford Borough Council’s development partner for the scheme has submitted plans for a retail-led regeneration scheme.
The scheme includes 385,000 sq ft (35,490 sq m) of retail including a department store and food store and a 130 room hotel.
Shaun Field, chief executive of Bedford Borough Council, said: ‘With the submission of this planning application we are seeing the final pieces of the Town Centre jigsaw drop into place. The plans for this scheme offer a great vision for how the area around the bus station will be transformed into a vibrant and exciting new location for shopping, living and entertainment.’
The key objectives of the proposed scheme are to create an attractive extension to the shopping area which allows for a wider range of retail and leisure uses, as well as providing a new modern bus station and residential units to create a balanced community living within the town centre.