Proposals for around 140 new homes plus a new primary school on farmland at Trimley St Martin have been submitted to planners.

The plans have been expected as the new local plan says the site could accommodate up to 150 properties plus the two-form entry school with pre-school, and open space.

The initial 60-pupil school and early years centre is estimated to cost £1.2million while longer term plans for an expanded primary on the site will cost £8.6m.

Pigeon Investment Management has submitted initial plans to East Suffolk Council for 17 acres of land next to and at the rear of the Reeve Lodge sheltered housing complex in High Road. The land stretches to the roundabout with Howlett Way, where the old mushroom farm has been developed with 66 news homes.

The plans show 139 homes and include 46 affordable properties.


Ipswich Star: The site Pigeon Investment Management wants to develop for homes and a school in High Road, Trimley St MartinThe site Pigeon Investment Management wants to develop for homes and a school in High Road, Trimley St Martin (Image: GOOGLE STREETVIEW)Rob Snowling, associate director of Pigeon, said: "The new homes will be a mix of apartments, detached and semi-detached homes but will be predominantly one, two and three-bedroom properties, in order to provide new homes that are affordable for both families and first-time buyers.

"The scheme will provide affordable housing in accordance with adopted planning policy."

Access to the school and new homes will be via a new spine road to be built by creating a fifth arm off the roundabout.

Mr Snowling said studies had been carried out to assess the cumulative impact of new developments in the Trimleys and also of the traffic the 139 homes would generate.

He said: "The scheme is predicted to generate 1,024 vehicles per day. However, these vehicle movements will be distributed across the surrounding network with 168 vehicles predicted to route via High Road North, 441 via High Road South and 415 via Howlett Way. The predicted trips on the A14 (North) and A14 (South) are 270 and 145 vehicles per day respectively.

"Existing traffic flows on the surrounding highway are 8,617 (High Road North), 9,993 (High Road South), 10,580 (Howlett Way), 38,992 (A14 North) and 38,479 (A14 South).

"As such the predicted development flows will result in less than 10% on High Road North, High Road South, Howlett Way and the A14 (North and South). In summary, none of the local roads in the vicinity of the site will be subject to an increase in traffic that will exceed the appropriate threshold for assessment and it is unlikely therefore that there will be any significant environmental impacts."

Construction would create temporary jobs.

He added: "It will also have a positive impact upon the surrounding area once fully constructed as a result of the incoming population helping to support and sustain existing services and facilities."

ESC says Trimley St Martin Primary School is operating close to capacity and so a new primary school with early years provision will be needed - and a contribution will be required from development of the High Road homes site towards primary school provision.