YET another move has been made to build homes off Bramford Road in Ipswich.The Fairfield Partnership wants to build as many as around 70 homes on the site.

YET another move has been made to build homes off Bramford Road in Ipswich.

The Fairfield Partnership wants to build as many as around 70 homes on the site.

The 1.45 hectare piece of land makes up roughly half the total site, which is set behind Bramford Road and lies between the Railway embankment and Riverside Road.

The site is currently occupied by eight houses with very large market gardens.

The Fairfield Partnership has already had an application to develop another quarter of the site refused.

But Ipswich Borough Council has recently agreed in principle to plans put forward by SEH Developments Ltd to develop the whole site.

This is subject to the signing of a section 106 agreement under the Town and Country Planning Act, which ensures adequate provision for education, affordable housing and public spaces as a result of the development.

But John Boyd, director of JB Planning Associates Ltd – which submitted the application on behalf of The Fairfield Partnership - said the problem with developing the site as a whole would be getting all the landowners to sign the section 106 agreement.

He said he would like to see the borough council grant them permission to develop the pieces of land they were interested in, subject to a development brief as to how the land could be developed as a whole in the future.

He said: "Planning permission for our applications wouldn't prejudice the rest of it coming forward.

"If they (the borough council) maintain their position with regard to piecemeal development, then we can't see any way for this land to be developed. That seems ironic when the principle is to develop."

Mike Smith, head of planning and development for the borough council, said: "We have got two developers each trying to organise it for their own benefit. They both have options on the land. All we know is that they seem unable to come to terms with each other.

"We would like to see one co-ordinated development. It's an improving area of town, there are river walks nearby and it could be an attractive place to live. We really need the two parties to come together.

"This area is ripe for development and we have very demanding targets to meet for our share of the growth in the eastern region. We have to provide 15,000 more dwellings in the borough of Ipswich by 2021 – there are around 50,000 now."

What do you think? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk