The site had been the home of Milwaukee's and before that Castaways in the 1980s and 1990s, a much-loved music venue for rave and Northern Soul music

Plans have been amended and resubmitted for 14 business units to be built on the site of an old nightclub on the A6.

Planning permission to redevelop the site formerly used by Milwaukee’s nightclub was granted in 2016, however the applicant, Apollo Fifteen LLP, has pushed back against a condition relating to the need ton install bus stops in the area.

The site at the corner of The A6 and Stocking Lane, a prominent route between Bedford and Rushden, was given the go-ahead to be redeveloped into 14 B1 (business) and B8 (storage or distribution) units, including necessary access roads and parking associated with the site.

The proposal has since been subject to a successful S73 application to update the designs.

After a long-standing back-and-forth between the applicant and Bedford Borough Council, the applicant is seeking to remove a condition from the plans relating to the need to construct bus stop facilities before any building is occupied, and that ‘details of bus stop facilities and pedestrian linkages between the stops and sites are to be submitted and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.’

Apollo Fifteen LLP and Ash Planning claim that they had previously tried to discharge the condition by submitting a proposal that retained the bus stop arrangement as existing , however say the council ‘failed to consider the merits of the proposal.’

In an effort to remove the condition, a planning document reads: “The condition is worded to require the provision of bus stops even though this was not requested by the Highways Authority. There is no justification for the provision of bus stops in the original report, and it is not possible to ascertain where this requirement has come from.”

It adds: “In terms of the road, since the original grant of approval, the A6 itself has undergone upgrade works and it is unclear whether or not the Highways Authority would want to have formalised bus stops in this area.

“Introducing stops in this area would require the installation of kerbs, hardstanding and bus cage areas as a minimum which would amount to significant highways works.

“The nature of the road in this area means the provision of stops would result in buses stopping in the highway and interrupting the flow of traffic in both directions, in an area where cars are subject to the national speed limit.”

The site had been the home of Milwaukee's and before that Castaways in the 1980s and 1990s, a much-loved music venue for rave and Northern Soul music. It fell into disrepair when Milwaukee’s closed and the site has been abandoned ever since, until plans for business units was submitted in 2016.

In December 2025 planning officers at Bedford Borough Council refused an application to amend the design for the site in Rushden Road, Souldrop. The council believed the changes, which included metal sheeting for the exterior walls and roof, would appear ‘highly industrial’ and, alongside other changes would be ‘a significant downgrade to the previously approved external finish.’

As such, Bedford Borough Council suggested that a scheme that ‘includes the previously approved materials’ should be pursued.

The applicant responded in January this year, resubmitting an application and claiming the original plans approved a decade ago were ‘outdated’ and required updating to meet the needs of modern employment.

A planning document submitted in January reads: “The applicant has purchased the site from the previous owner and is looking to implement development to provide the approved small business units.

“However, the approved designs are, at nearly 10 years old, considered to be outdated and not suitable or efficient for modern employment.

“As a result, a number of design changes are proposed to the building themselves. The applicant has been careful to ensure that the layout and footprint of development remains the same as originally approved.”

The full application can be found online here, or by searching with the reference 26/01904/M73 on the Bedford Borough Council planning portal.