Suffolk’s biggest new housing development in years is set to bring almost £100million in investment in community projects, including roads, schools, public transport and green spaces, it can be revealed.

The sign-off for the 2,000-home Adastral Park development in Martlesham Heath was agreed today – offering a detailed look at some of the wider benefits the development will bring.

Suffolk Coastal District Council’s head of planning, Philip Ridley, and Peter Village of Carlyle Land, the site owners, signed the section 106 legal agreement, detailing its infrastructure investment, and paving the way for work to begin.

The council’s planning committee gave outline approval to the £300m scheme in January - but it was subject to conditions and the completion of the S106 deed, signed today.

%image(15335544, type="article-full", alt="A conceptual image of how the Adastral Park development might look where the housing meets the edge of green space. Picture: CEG")

Around £40m of S106 agreements were confirmed, including £15m of transport work a new health centre, or financial contributions, and investment in greens spaces including sports facilities. The project’s total infrastructure investment is said to be £96m and is expected to create around 1,000 jobs.

Today’s green light for the scheme – to be known as Brightwell Lakes – follows a decade-long planning saga, which has seen the application undergo various changes. It has also faced significant challenges from the No to Adastral New Town campaign group, which was concerned by its impact on the nearby Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and escalated its objections to the High Court and European Commission. Martlesham and Waldringfield parish councils had opposed it on highways grounds.

The final scheme, which came about following discussions between planning officers and applicants, will feature up to 2,000 new homes, including affordable housing, as well as shops, and an extension to the business park.

CEG, which is managing the development and working with the land owner, Carlyle Land, said it would be an “exemplar development of its kind”.

Jon Kenny, development director of CEG added: “This very exciting development will deliver extensive new and improved infrastructure, including education and health provision, community facilities and transport improvements, alongside a full mix of new homes across all tenures. We will work closely with housebuilding partners to bring forward a high quality scheme which respects the site’s setting, with extensive green and open spaces. We are also working closely with BT and Suffolk Coastal District Council to bring forward state of the art business space in the northern quadrant which will be of regional, indeed, international significance.”

Peter Village, chairman of Carlyle Land Limited, said: “This will be an exemplar development of its kind. We have worked in close collaboration with all stakeholders, especially the local communities, to achieve a planning permission which will rapidly deliver a very high quality scheme in a highly sustainable location. This development will make a very important contribution to the supply of houses in the district. It will be a highly desirable location to live.”

%image(14550495, type="article-full", alt="A CGI of what the Adastral Park development may look like around the sporting facilities. Picture: BROADWAY MALYAN FOR CEG")

Tony Fryatt, who is responsible for planning at SCDC said: “The Adastral Park development is an exceptional scheme, bringing much-needed new homes, jobs and investment into the area. This development plays an important role in allowing us to deliver the Suffolk Coastal Local Plan, which sets out this Council’s long-term strategy for bolstering the economic and social health of the District.”

“What is particularly gratifying is that this high-quality development, which is the largest currently approved in Suffolk, is the result of collaborative working to develop the masterplan. This shows the way from strategically-led planning in the future. We have built an excellent working relationship with the developers, as well as the surrounding communities, and look forward to continuing to work with them.”

Waldringfield Parish Council’s chairman Ian Kay said he hoped conditions would be “serious and robust” enough to mitigate concerns - particularly the loss of habitat in the Deben estuary.

Martlesham Parish Council said it was pleased many of the potential concerns it raised had been addressed with the conditions.

However, chairman Mike Irwin added that traffic mitigation remained an “ongoing concern” and called for the situation to ne monitored to ensure problems do not arise. Mr Irwin also said he was disappointed affordable housing was set at 25%, rather than the district’s 33% target.

However he welcomed the “wide range” of other facilities included in the development, such as the school and its shared community uses.

%image(14468974, type="article-full", alt="Conceptual images of how the "gateway" from the A12 into the Adastral Park housing development could look. Picture: CEG")

“We hope that these will complement those already available in the parish and help to integrate the old and new communities,” he added.

Patricia O’Brien, who represents Martlesham at Suffolk County Council and spoke against the application in January, said her concerns over traffic had not been resolved. “This will do little to alleviate the increased congestion that will inevitably build up with the growth of traffic from 2,000 homes,” she added.

%image(14555659, type="article-full", alt="The Adastral Park development will unlock an investment of almost �1million for the local community. Picture: MIKE PAGE")