A MEETING to discuss controversial proposals to build a large freight distribution centre in the Suffolk countryside is expected to attract protesters today .

A MEETING to discuss controversial proposals to build a large freight distribution centre in the Suffolk countryside is expected to attract protesters today .

The lorry depot centre, which would create 1,500 jobs if given the go ahead, would be built between the main rail line and the A1120 feeder road from the A14 to Stowmarket.

The Stowmarket Town Council meeting will take place this evening at 7pm at the Stowmarket Community Centre.

The planning and amenities committee will be discussing the development for the distribution park which has attracted high levels of opposition since it was first proposed in 2004.

A new application was submitted earlier this year by property agents Bidwells, who argue that the development would be environmentally friendly.

However, those against the proposals argue that the depot centre will have a negative effect on the roads and the flood plain of the River Gipping as well as destroying the rural calm of the area.

Russell Stott, who has been campaigning against the proposed centre since the plan first came to light, said: “There has been a growing opposition about the development and the number of people concerned hasn't got any less; it's increased.

“Now that people understand the impact the centre would have and the full implications of it, the level of opposition has grown.”