LANDOWNERS and developers have offered more than 400 sites to build the homes the Suffolk Coastal area will need over the next 15 years, it has been revealed.
By Richard Cornwell
LANDOWNERS and developers have offered more than 400 sites to build the homes the Suffolk Coastal area will need over the next 15 years, it has been revealed.
Planners say the land ranges from all the fields as one massive redevelopment of the Trimley villages, to gardens and tiny plots suitable for just one or two homes in towns and villages.
But they said none of the sites has yet been considered or investigated - and at this stage they remain in a drawer.
The district needs to find sites for more than 3,600 new houses, and a furious campaign is being waged in the Felixstowe area where town councillors want 2,700 built but residents of the twin Trimleys oppose development.
So far no sites have been selected, and at this stage the public is only being asked in which areas how many homes should be built.
Planning officer Stephen Brown said: “A lot of landowners and developers are interested in the process and have submitted proposals.
“I have got 400 proposals from landowners and developers, ranging from someone wanting to build a house in their garden to large-scale proposals such as those from Trinity College, Cambridge.
“People are saying, 'We have got some land - can you bear us in mind, please?'”
Trinity College put forward a vision showing how all the fields between the railway line and A14 could be used to turn Trimley St Mary and Trimley St Martin into one big suburban development with around 3,000 homes. After public outcry, the vision was altered and scaled down to around 1,500 homes.
Another proposal has been put in by a consortium of landowners to build in the northern fringe of Felixstowe - around Gulpher Road and Eastward Ho!
People have until Monday to give their views on how many homes should be built in various areas. The council, which has put forward six options, will then choose a preferred option and there will be further consultation.
After this it will identify the sites where homes will be built and a public inquiry will be held.
Where do you think the new homes should be built in Suffolk Coastal? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk
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