Felixstowe chosen as trailblazer
FELIXSTOWE has been chosen as one of a dozen towns in the region to have a £100,000 master plan drawn up to map out its future growth and development.The resort – and the twin Trimley villages – will be put under the microscope by consultants who will analyse the port, tourism and shopping activities, need for more housing, new development and the regeneration of the town.
FELIXSTOWE has been chosen as one of a dozen towns in the region to have a £100,000 master plan drawn up to map out its future growth and development.
The resort - and the twin Trimley villages - will be put under the microscope by consultants who will analyse the port, tourism and shopping activities, need for more housing, new development and the regeneration of the town.
Top priorities will include looking at how the town and its villages can be expanded and which land can be developed, and also selecting sites for one or more new major supermarkets.
The consultants will also look at the area's road links - including the A14 and concerns that the road is reaching capacity.
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The master plan is expected to cost between £70,000 and £100,000 and half the money will come from the East of England Development Agency, a quarter from English Partnerships, and £17,000 from the Haven Gateway Partnership.
Felixstowe Town Council has agreed to give £3,000 and Suffolk Coastal will pick up the rest of the bill.
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Town clerk Susan Robinson said the master plan was "seriously good news" for Felixstowe and would take the place of the complex parish plan the council had so far been unable to afford to do.
"It is work which needs to be done by experts from a very specialist field and with the partnership funding offered this is quite an extraordinary opportunity and not something which comes your way very often in life," she said.
Councillors have also welcomed the project.
Andy Smith, chairman of the town plans committee, said the master plan would feed into the new Area Action Plan which was being prepared for the town as part of the replacement of the local plan.
He felt it would be a very useful exercise and could bring forward some excellent information on a range of issues.
Councillor Mike Stokell hoped it would give the people a greater say in the future of their town.
Stephen Brown, development plans manager at Suffolk Coastal, said consultants would be appointed in January and the master plan would take four to six months to draw up.
He said the project would provide a long-term strategy for the regeneration and enhancement of the resort, involving many local organisations and particularly "hard to reach" groups.
"It is hoped that the final document will be held up as a good example of such long-term planning," he said.
