VILLAGERS in Trimley St Mary are to be given a chance to have their say on the controversial ideas to build thousands of homes on their doorsteps.Their neighbours in Trimley St Martin have already had a public meeting to debate the proposals – and tackle officials from Trinity College, Cambridge.

VILLAGERS in Trimley St Mary are to be given a chance to have their say on the controversial ideas to build thousands of homes on their doorsteps.

Their neighbours in Trimley St Martin have already had a public meeting to debate the proposals – and tackle officials from Trinity College, Cambridge.

Now Trimley St Mary residents are to be given the same opportunity and a meeting has been arranged for next month.

The meeting will take place in the main hall at the primary school in High Road on Monday October 13 at 7pm.

Parish clerk Lorraine Dickson said Trinity's senior bursar Dr Jeremy Fairbrother and Tim Collins, partner in Bidwells, acting as agents for the college, had been invited to attend to answer questions from the floor.

She said: "The meeting will also be part of the parish council's work to gauge the feelings of the village before it decides what amendments it should make to its submission on the local plan."

The parish council anticipates a full house for the event and is again urging people to ensure their voices are heard.

It particularly needs to receive letters from people giving their views so that it can represent the opinions of the majority of villagers.

It is likely that the council will look again at its submission in November, when Suffolk Coastal council is also holding workshops to look at the future needs of the historic twin villages, Walton and Felixstowe.

Trinity College, which owns 3,400 acres of land on the Felixstowe peninsula, has drawn up plans which would see all the fields and open space between the A14 and Felixstowe-Ipswich railway line used for greens and village centres, an industrial area and homes.

It could feature as many as 3,000 new flats and houses and based on current government-suggested housing densities, the Trimleys would grow by 124 per cent with an adult population of 9,753 plus children.

It would make the villages half the size of Felixstowe.

Trinity College has submitted its proposals to Suffolk Coastal and its representatives Bidwells have held their first meeting with planning officers.

Bidwells have said that they want to hear all views on the proposals and say the ideas are not detailed at this stage and not set in stone.

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