Three new housing developments in Capel St Mary could see the village double in size over the next decade, the parish council believes.

Ipswich Star: Land behind Little Tufts where Persimmon wanted to build 150 homes. Picture: PAUL GEATERLand behind Little Tufts where Persimmon wanted to build 150 homes. Picture: PAUL GEATER (Image: Archant)

And they have launched a campaign to try to persuade planners at Babergh council not to approve so many homes which the infrastructure around the village would be unable to cope with.

Babergh’s planning committee is due to hear a planning application for 100 new homes at Day’s Green near the Capel Community Church on Wednesday.

Officers are recommending its approval with a condition that there are 35 affordable homes and that money is put aside for infrastructure improvements.

An application for a second development of 150 homes to be accessed from Little Tufts is expected to be considered over the next few months.

And the parish is aware that there are discussions about the possibility of a further 600 homes to be built to the south of the village in the Red Lane area near the Bypass Nurseries garden centre. That would make a total of 850 new homes

Parish councillor David Thompson is leading the campaign against the developments which – he warned – would be unsustainable.

He warned that they would create too much traffic for the village roads to cope with.

Mr Thompson said: “The village has about 1,200 homes and a population of 2,800. But these proposed new homes would be mostly quite large family homes with an average of four people in each – so that could easily double the population of Capel.

“The A12 is already very busy at rush hours with queues back from Ipswich – and it is getting bad at other times as well. I know not everyone will drive at the same time, but this will put much more pressure on the roads.”

He said the village had said it did need about 100 new homes – mainly small starter homes for local people who wanted to get on the housing ladder or bungalows for those seeking to downsize.

But the homes that were currently being proposed were three and four-bedroomed family houses.

Mr Thompson said: “They are all likely to have at least two cars and as well as the roads we have quite a small doctors’ surgery and other facilities here. We fear that the village just would not cope.”