Ipswich residents' fears over Foxhall Road homes plan

The concerns from residents came as Bloor Homes announced it was in the early stages of a new development that would see homes built south of Kesgrave and Martlesham.

No planning application has been submitted to East Suffolk Council and it is the understanding of this newspaper that local parish councils were not approached before leaflets detailing the plans were delivered.

With concerns over traffic on the A12, residents are worried over the lack of infrastructure(Image: Google)

But people living in the area have told this newspaper they are fearful over the impact the homes will have on roads, schools and other vital infrastructure, given the homes would increase the population by several thousand.

A resident of Martlesham Heath, AS Ruth, said: "This area has already been subject to relentless commercial overdevelopment, yet there have been no meaningful improvements to the infrastructure to support it.

"Attempting to 'pop' into Tesco, Next, Boots, or Aldi at any time of day - regardless of the day of the week - is an ordeal, simply because the volume of traffic is unmanageable.

"The roads are at breaking point, the infrastructure is insufficient, and yet more housing is being pushed through - next to a landfill site and municipal dump, no less.

The land is currently used for farming(Image: Google)

"This is just another example of short-sighted, irresponsible planning at the expense of the people who already live, work, and struggle daily in this area."

There are also concerns over the choice to use farmland rather than brownfield sites nearby.

A Kesgrave resident, Joan Hepden, added: "There are so many brownfield sites that could be developed into new homes, by repurposing buildings that I cannot see the sense in using land unused and building on virgin land."

The land for the homes is found to the south of Kesgrave and Martlesham(Image: Google)

East Suffolk councillor for Kesgrave Geoff Lynch said that while little is known about the plans at this stage, he believes that the large development will not be the last.

The Conservative councillor said: "East Suffolk Council had in place a five-year plan, which we were ahead of.

"But with the change of central government last year, those plans went out of the window as they said that we have to built a lot more houses.

East Suffolk Councillor Geoff Lynch, who also sits on Kesgrave Town Council(Image: East Suffolk Council)

"We have had to increase the amount of homes being built by a massive number without the proper time to consult.

"The difficulty with that is suddenly going from say 10,000 homes to 20,000 means we have to look at where to place them, the capabilities of the road network, the sewage and electrical systems.

"It is never as simple as more houses, so I believe this will not be the last development like this".