Please note that the content of this archived
page was last updated in December 2005 and so reflects the
status of the project at that time.
More information about this application can be found on our
online planning register -
application number C/05/1723 (new
window).
The planning go-ahead has been given to exciting revised plans
for a
leisure-focussed multi-million pound
redevelopment of an 17.5-acre site in Felixstowe drawn up by
Bloor Homes and its partners Suffolk Coastal for this key
project to regenerate the resort.
The partnership behind the proposed multi-million pound
regeneration of a derelict site in Felixstowe welcomed the
news that it has won the planning go-ahead for its ambitious
scheme. In December 2005, Suffolk Coastal’s South Area Development
Control Sub-Committee gave its unanimous all-party approval to the
revised plans for the South Seafront development that would result
in a maritime park, car parking and other leisure facilities being
built, funded by 158 new homes.
The decision is seen as a massive leap forward for the people of
Felixstowe but there are still some significant hurdles to be
overcome. The plans offer a much-needed injection of leisure
facilities and other services for residents and visitors alike, all
funded by a modern, creative approach to the housing part of the
scheme.
The application specifically addressed the reasons cited for
refusal last time, taking account of consultation and include more
leisure and green space than before, with a bigger and better
choice of play equipment, a refreshment kiosk, and new modern
toilets. There will also be 262 additional car-parking spaces that
surveys show will be sufficient to meet demand.
The play equipment would be at the heart of the scheme, offering a
wide range of entertainment, with an adventure trail, multi-play
slides and climbing rocks for juniors and toddlers, an infant play
area including see-saws, and springing items, plus a more
adventurous ‘spacenet’ for more active play. There would also be an
eight pad water splash feature to help build on the maritime theme
of the park.
An Ancient Monument Consent has already been gained by Bloor
Homes so the unsightly garages can be removed from next to the
Martello Tower. The Consent will also lead to an archaeological
examination of the historic moat around the tower, and the former
Royal Observer Corps bunker will be preserved, as recommended by
English Heritage. The plans also allow for the demolition of the
Herman De Stern building as it was seen as being too expensive to
renovate and re-use, even before a fire seriously damaged it.
Just under one-third of the site is planned to be used to build
158 homes, 51 fewer than previously proposed, mostly in
three-storey terraces, with 16 homes of the same design available
for rent from a housing association. Most of the homes for sale
will be two-bedroom and will hopefully prove attractive to local
first-time buyers.
However, progress on the project will partly depend on whether
the Government chooses to call in the decision for further
consideration as the plans are a possible departure from the agreed
Development Plan for the area, and the Council owns most of the
site. A Government announcement on December 6 may also cause delays
as it was revealed that there would be no funding available in the
coming financial year for urgent coastal improvement works that the
Council had been working on with the Environment Agency and the
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The work on
replacing 50 groynes and replacing them with 19 rock groynes was
due to start in the Spring. The Environment Agency’s support for
the South Seafront application was conditional on the defence works
being carried out. The Council will be pressing the Government to
reconsider its decision because of the importance of the proposed
work to 1,616 existing local homes, numerous local businesses and
tourist attractions, plus the Port of Felixstowe.
This application was drawn up following months of careful
analysis of the responses the Council had from a large number of
people from a very wide area during the two years of in-depth
consultation that resulted in an unsuccessful attempt to gain
planning permission.