Suffolk County Council demands more work on Ipswich northern fringe project before approval is granted

Suffolk County Council will not back the Ipswich northern fringe proposals until much more work has been done on transport, drainage, and education issues, its cabinet has decided.

Proposals for 3,500 homes across the north of the town from Tuddenham Road to Henley Road and the edge of Westerfield have been on the drawing board for years.

There are outline applications lodged with Ipswich council for two of the three areas of what has been re-named Ipswich Garden Suburb.

However these have now both been rejected by the county who feels not enough details have been given on how the new developments would deal with the extra traffic created or the drainage problems from developing a green field site.

The cabinet’s planning spokesman Matthew Hicks said the county recognised that the homes were needed in the Ipswich area, and accepted that the northern fringe would be developed – however much more detail about how the potential problems could be avoided was needed.

Labour group leader Sandy Martin, who represents and Ipswich division, accepted that more details were needed – but hoped the urgent need for new homes in the town would not be overlooked.

Liberal Democrat councillor Inga Lockington, whose division includes the roads likely to most affected by an increase in traffic, said many residents remained very concerned about the impact of the development.

She said: “We have these applications and we know that the homes are needed – but you have to remember that people cannot be told not to use cars.

“There has to be more work done to prevent really serious traffic problems before this can be allowed to go ahead.”

The cabinet unanimously backed the decision to demand more information before it can give its backing to the scheme.