Air conditioning in Shortstown
We install, service and repair air conditioning in Shortstown, Cardington and Cotton End. Shortstown has three generations of homes side by side: the airship works' garden village, RAF houses from after the war, and the new streets on the old RAF land. Each needs a slightly different approach.
- people in the parish, 2021 Census
- 4,838
- people in the same area, 2011
- 2,401
- the two airship sheds
- Grade II*
- single room, from
- £1,850
Bedford borough in official figures
- households (2021 Census)
- 74,950
- live in a flat
- 18 in 100
- live in a house
- 81 in 100
- listed building entries
- 1,352
Of 74,950 households in the 2021 Census, 81 in 100 lived in a house (28 detached, 33 semi-detached, 20 terraced) and 18 in 100 in a flat. Most installs here are on houses, where a back or side wall is usually the simplest place for the outdoor unit.
In a conservation area an outdoor unit can't go on a wall or roof facing a road without planning permission, and an Article 4 direction can remove permitted development rights altogether. Check your postcode to see whether either applies to your street.
Figures for the whole Bedford borough council area. Sources: ONS Census 2021, table TS044 (accommodation type); Historic England's National Heritage List entries within the council boundary, through planning.data.gov.uk (one entry can cover several buildings). Checked October 2026.
A village built for airships
In 1916 the Admiralty chose land at Cardington for an airship works and gave the contract to Short Brothers. The firm built the first hangar in 1917 and, beside it, a garden village for its workers. Bedfordshire Archives records 151 homes by June 1919, in a simplified neo-Georgian style of red brick with dark red tiled roofs, laid out on gently curving roads. The village kept the firm's name.
The works became the Royal Airship Works. The first hangar was enlarged for the R101, and a second was moved from a Norfolk airship station in 1928 and re-erected here, larger. The R101 crashed in France on its maiden flight to India in October 1930, and airship building stopped. The RAF took over Cardington in 1938, and after the war more houses were built as married quarters. The RAF station closed in April 2000.
The new Shortstown
In 2005 Bedford Borough Council gave outline planning permission to redevelop the former RAF station and the land next to it, about 46 hectares, for homes, businesses, open space and a new school, with the A600 realigned. The council's brownfield register shows phases such as 93 homes with office units and 171 homes off The Highway completed by 2020/21.
The population shows the change: 2,401 people in this area at the 2011 Census and 4,838 in 2021, more than double. Shortstown became a parish in its own right in April 2019, when the old Eastcotts parish was split into Shortstown and Cotton End.
Shortstown homes and what they mean for an install
At the 2021 Census, the Eastcotts ward, which included Shortstown, had 25% detached homes, 39% semi-detached, 23% terraced and 10% purpose-built flats.
| Type of home | Where you'll find it | What it means for the install |
|---|---|---|
| Garden village houses, 1917 to 1919 | The oldest part of the village | Mostly terraces, with some larger houses. The unit usually goes at the back, with a careful pipe hole through century-old brick. |
| Post-war RAF houses | The avenues named after people lost on the R101, and roads named after wartime bombers | Family houses built as married quarters. Usually permitted development, on a side or rear wall or a ground pad. |
| New homes on the RAF land | The phases built since the 2005 permission, around The Highway | Check the planning conditions for your phase and your deeds first. Then usually a simple install. |
| Flats | Across the village | Freeholder or management company consent first. Permitted development allows one heat pump per block, up to 0.6 m³. |
Planning: Bedford Borough Council
Shortstown has its own parish council, but planning applications go to Bedford Borough Council. A heating-capable outdoor unit on a house is often permitted development if it isn't used only for cooling, is no bigger than 1.5 m³ and passes the MCS 020(a) noise check of 37 dB(A) at the neighbour's window. A semi-detached or terraced house can have one, a detached house two. Our planning guide explains each rule.
Shortstown isn't one of Bedford Borough's 29 conservation areas, and neither of the council's two Article 4 directions covers it. So the usual limits apply: no unit on a wall facing the road above the ground floor, and listed building consent for any listed building.
Cardington and Cotton End
Cardington village, just north-east of Shortstown, is a conservation area in Bedford Borough. Inside it, a unit can't go on a wall or roof facing the road, or nearer a bordering road than the house, without planning permission. Many of its houses around the green are listed, so we check yours before we suggest a position.
Cotton End, to the south, became its own parish with Shortstown in 2019. It isn't on the council's list of conservation areas, so most homes there follow the standard rules.
- Howard's House, Cardington: Grade II*
- Whitbread Almshouses and several houses on The Green: Grade II
- The R101 memorial in Cardington cemetery: Grade II
- Cardington Railway Station and Cardington Bridge: Grade II
What air conditioning costs in Shortstown
Our starting prices are the same here as across Bedfordshire and London. Home prices include VAT; business prices are plus VAT. The survey gives you a fixed written price.
- from£1,850inc. VAT
A bedroom or study
2.5 kW wall unit, 5 m pipe, fitted in a day
- from£2,050inc. VAT
A living room
3.5 kW wall unit
- from£3,650inc. VAT
Two rooms, one outdoor unit
Multi-split
- from£5,100inc. VAT
Three rooms
Multi-split
- from£2,350inc. VAT
Floor-standing unit
2.5 kW console
- from£1,795+ VAT
Commercial wall unit
Fitted in business hours
- from£119inc. VAT
An annual service
Keeps the manufacturer warranty valid
- from£59inc. VAT
Each extra indoor unit
Same visit
Areas and postcodes we cover
We cover the whole village and the places around it, including:
- MK42: Shortstown, old and new
- MK44: Cardington
- MK45: Cotton End
- Nearby: Bedford, Wixams, Elstow and Kempston
Shortstown questions
Do I need planning permission for air conditioning in Shortstown?
Usually not, for a heating-capable unit on a house that meets the size, position and noise limits. Shortstown has no conservation area and no Article 4 direction. On the newer phases, check the planning conditions for your home in case one removed permitted development rights. Applications go to Bedford Borough Council.
I live in one of the original 1917 houses. Is that a problem?
No, but we take care. The original houses aren't in a conservation area, so a rear wall or ground pad is usually permitted development. The brick is about a century old, so we drill the pipe hole gently and seal it properly. Pipes go straight through the wall behind the indoor unit, with no trunking inside.
I've bought a new home on the former RAF land. What should I check?
Read the planning conditions for your phase on Bedford Borough's planning website, and your deeds for covenants or estate company rules about outside walls. We go through it with you at the survey and give you the unit size, position and noise figures if anyone needs to agree.
Do you cover Cardington village?
Yes. Cardington is a conservation area with many listed houses, so a unit can't face the road without permission, and listed homes need listed building consent wherever it goes. We check your address before we quote and plan a position out of sight.
How much does air conditioning cost for a Shortstown semi?
One bedroom starts from £1,850 including VAT and a living room from £2,050. Two rooms on one outdoor unit start from £3,650, and three from £5,100. A semi can have only one heat pump under permitted development, so a multi-split is usually the answer for several rooms.
Can you service or repair an existing system?
Yes. An annual service starts at £119 including VAT, plus £59 for each extra indoor unit on the same visit. We repair most brands, whoever fitted them, and confirm the cost of the repair visit when you book. Visits are booked at least a week ahead.