CAMPAIGNERS fighting to stop two villages being turned into a new town must wait until spring to find out how many homes the government wants built.Families in the twin Trimleys have been outraged by long-term plans drawn up by landowners Trinity College which would see possibly thousands of new homes built and every spare field in their community developed.

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to stop two villages being turned into a new town must wait until spring to find out how many homes the government wants built.

Families in the twin Trimleys have been outraged by long-term plans drawn up by landowners Trinity College which would see possibly thousands of new homes built and every spare field in their community developed.

But whether the land identified will be considered will hinge on how many homes the Suffolk Coastal area is required to provide in the next 20 years.

The district council has already indicated a big need for affordable housing –one-third of any development – while a new national report says Britain will need an extra 39,000 a year homes just to keep pace with population growth.

Trimley St Mary Parish Council chairman Richard Kerry said at a local planning workshop, community leaders had been told that no housing figures would be announced until next spring.

"We were hoping at the meeting to find out what the figures were because that would give us an indication of whether or not new homes would be needed in the Trimleys or Felixstowe area," he said.

"The earliest though that these figures are expected is February and it will probably not be until autumn that we see the draft local plan."

That's good news for campaigners such as STAG (Save Trimley Against Growth) as it will give them more time to prepare their case.

Mr Kerry said the meeting had been positive and very constructive, allowing the Trimley villages and Felixstowe Town Council to give their ideas on future housing and sites they would be prepared to consider.

The Trimleys would like to see a few new homes, affordable ones to stop youngsters leaving the area and accommodation for the elderly, but not on the scale of Trinity College's "vision" for the area.

The government's Barker Review of Housing Supply says Britain is now so short of new houses that an extra 39,000 need to be built each year just to keep up with the country's population growth.

In 2001, around 175,000 new homes were built in the UK, the lowest level since World War II; while over the past ten years the number of new dwellings built has been 12.5pc lower than in the previous decade.

The report says the lack of homes has been a major cause of high UK house prices, has constrained economic growth and "reduced standards of living for everyone in the UK".

n How many new homes does the Felixstowe area need – and where should they be built? Write to Your Letters, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk

WEBLINKS: www.savetrimley.co.uk

www.trimley-vision.co.uk

www.trimley-st-martin.org.uk