VILLAGERS in Trimley St Martin today declared their total opposition to revised proposals to build around 1,500 new homes in their community.Trinity College's plans were thrown out by parish councillors who felt the project would destroy the character of the village and surrounding countryside.

VILLAGERS in Trimley St Martin today declared their total opposition to revised proposals to build around 1,500 new homes in their community.

Trinity College's plans were thrown out by parish councillors who felt the project would destroy the character of the village and surrounding countryside.

Trimley St Mary Parish Council is expected to discuss the college's new planning framework for the twin villages tonight .

The changes to the original plans - which campaigners feared would see 3,000 homes built - have removed most of the development from St Mary and placed it all in St Martin, which would have a supermarket, school and huge areas of housing between Gun Lane, the rail line and rear of the social club.

Trimley St Martin Parish council vice chairman John Barker said the plans were not shown to or discussed with the council by Trinity College before publication.

He said: "The council, having looked carefully at the revised framework, felt strongly, that it was unable to change its current stance - that the parish council remains totally opposed to any proposals that would destroy the character of this village and its surrounding countryside.

"The unanimous opinion of the members present was that these revised proposals would do just that.

"The council will now formulate its own proposals to provide 'affordable housing' within the parish."

Trinity College's agents Bidwells say changes in the plans take into account the views from the public.

There would be no building on fields between Church Lane and Thurmans Lane, or Gun Lane and Gaymers Lane, with only a small amount in St Mary to round off the Farmlands estate behind The Josselyns and Great Field.

Land has been earmarked for a supermarket and businesses, including conversion of Great Street Farm to offices and workshops, and a new primary school with land set aside for a secondary school if needed.

WEBLINKS: www.savetrimely.co.uk

www.trimley-vision.co.uk

www.trimley-st-mary.org.uk

n What do you think of Trinity College's new proposals? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk

Trinity College Factfile:

n Trinity College, one of the oldest Cambridge university colleges, is an educational charity with landholdings of 13,000 acres around the country.

n Last year it made £27.9 million profit - nearly £3m more than the previous year. This included £6.3m from urban leases - mostly from land at Felixstowe port and surrounding industrial estates, a £2m rise on 2003.

n It owns 3,400 acres on the Felixstowe peninsula - part of the Orwell Park Estate owned by the Prettyman family sold in 1933 to meet death duty liabilities.

n The land includes 65 acres on Clickett Hill which will one day provide hundreds of thousands of pounds when developed as a business park.

n The rest comprises one in-hand and three let farms, 17 residential tenancies, about 525 acres of commercial estate and dock, a 200 acre nature reserve and 120 acres of woodland. Some of the original land was used for the Cavendish Park and Orwell Green estates.

n Main benefits brought to the area are the college's release of land for the port and industry - boosting the economy and bringing thousands of jobs.

n It has also enhanced the landscape with the planting of a quarter of a million trees and shrubs, improved the public footpath network, rejuvenated the estate's mature woodlands, and created new habitat for birds and wildlife.