Core Strategy Further Issues and Options

In February 2007 you gave us your thoughts on a range of issues and options as to how you would like the district to develop over the next 15 years.

In relation to new housing you told us that we should be providing new housing right across the district, with the majority being concentrated in and around Felixstowe and east of Ipswich with smaller amounts at the market towns and larger villages.

You also told us of your preference for larger scale housing developments to be provided on two or three sites in order to maximise developer contributions and thereby the provision of other associated facilities such as sports pitches, affordable housing, etc.

Further Issues and Options

Following from this and having regard to your comments, the Council has arrived at a likely scale and distribution of new housing development across the district.

There are two areas where large scale, strategic, levels of housing growth is proposed - Felixstowe with Walton and Trimley Villages (around 1,600 new units) and east of Ipswich (around 1,000 new units).

We have identified what we think are the most realistic options in terms of broad areas of search. These broad areas are presented in diagrammatic form in the Further Issues and Options document and accompanied by a matrix which identifies issues relevant to each area:

• Further Issues & Options document (new window PDF 1.07MB)

Follow this link for help with downloading and opening PDF files.

We asked people to give us their views on each of the areas identified (as well as on any additional areas not identified but which may offer an alternative, preferable and realistic option for growth) over an extended 10 week period, from 1 February to 11 April 2008.

The consultation generated a huge response and we would like to thank everybody who made a contribution. You can view all of the comments received in the document below:

• Further Issues and Options - Public consultation responses (new window PDF 6.20MB)

Please note that this is quite a large file as it contains over 2,000 comments on just over 1,000 pages. We recommend that you download it to your computer rather than try to view it in your web browser. Follow this link for help with downloading and opening PDF files.

Local Development Framework Task Group meetings

The consultation responses were reported to the Council’s Local Development Framework Task Group meetings listed below and which after lengthy debate agreed their preferred options for both areas:

• 28 July 2008 - Ipswich Policy Area meeting - housing options East of Ipswich, held at Woodbridge Community Hall.
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• 4 August 2008 - Felixstowe Peninsula meeting - housing options around Felixstowe and the Trimleys, held at the Hotel Elizabeth Orwell, Felixstowe.

• Who sits on the Local Development Framework Task Group?

Follow this link to see the agendas and reports for these meetings (new window). Further documents referred to at the meetings as well as the presentations given can be downloaded below.

Please note that these are quite large files - we recommend that you download them to your computer rather than try to view it in your web browser. Follow this link for help with downloading and opening PDF files.

Ipswich Policy Area meeting:

• Officer’s presentation (new window PDF 8.85MB).
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• Suffolk Wildlife Trust Strategic Ecological Assessments (new window PDF 13.6MB).

Felixstowe Peninsula meeting:

• Officer’s presentation (new window PDF 10.4MB).
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• Felixstowe Northern Fringe Landscape and Visual Appraisal (new window PDF 1.93MB)
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• Suffolk Wildlife Trust Strategic Ecological Assessments (new window PDF 13.2MB).

At the meetings the Local Development Framework Task Group agreed the following resolutions:

East of Ipswich - "the Task Group endorses the choice of Option 4, land east of Martlesham Heath, as its preferred option".

Felixstowe and Trimleys - "to support organic and evolutionary growth of a minimum of 1,720 dwellings in the Felixstowe and Trimleys area over a mixture of sites whilst preserving as far as possible prime agricultural land for essential food production."

These recommendations will now be considered by a special meeting of the Council's Cabinet to be held in Kesgrave in October.

What happens next?

The results of this consultation will be fed into the Core Strategy Preferred Options document which will pick up on all of the other issues raised at the earlier consultation in 2007. This comprehensive document is expected to be published for consultation in late autumn 2008.

If you have any questions about the Core Strategy and the Local Development Framework you can contact the Planning Policy Section on 01394 444761 or email development.policy@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.

You can also see a copy of the Further Issues and Options document and the public consultation comments at the Council’s Planning Help Desk at its Melton Hill offices, Woodbridge. The documents can be made available in large print and other formats on request. Contact the Planning & Policy Team on 01394 444761 or email development.policy@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.