Saxmundham Neighbourhood Plan

About us

About the Saxmundham Neighbourhood Plan

A Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led framework to shape our town’s development, regeneration and conservation. We can set out our shared ‘vision’ and planning policies for the future of Saxmundham, and influence where new homes, shops, offices, restaurants etc. should be built – and what facilities or infrastructure we need.

We’re now seeking your views on the draft Local Plan – up to 22 December 2021

Update – 31st October 2021

The Saxmundham Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led document for guiding the future development of the parish.  It is the first of its kind for Saxmundham.  The Steering Group want to know your views on the draft Plan.

You can comment on the draft Saxmundham Neighbourhood Plan on or before 22nd December 2021.

There will be a “drop-in” exhibition on the Neighbourhood Plan: 6pm-9pm on Friday 5th November, and 10am-4pm on Saturday 6th November, in the Market Hall, High Street, Saxmundham.  Members of the Steering Group will be present.

Click here for a copy of the poster.

[For info: Neighbourhood Plans form part of the overall legal framework for planning in England, but may not contradict strategic planning policies laid down at national or (when set out in Local Plans) at district council level]

Why draw up a Neighbourhood Plan? 

Saxmundham is a historic town that is growing and changing fast – and will almost certainly continue to do so. We need to make sure that these changes reflect our “vision” of Saxmundham’s future – and make it an even better place to live, work, visit and enjoy. 

But we also suffer from a lack of good quality services and resources, and our town centre definitely needs regeneration. We need to ensure that the essential character of the town is maintained, with a strong sense identity reflecting our history as well as looking to the future.

In addition, there are at least 3 specific reasons for having a Neighbourhood Plan.

First, the Plan is our chance to shape together the future of Saxmundham.  It will set out our agreed aims and priorities for the future of our town over, say, the next 20 years.  It can help us unite to tackle many of the problems and challenges we face – and to win much-needed resources. 

Second, the Plan enables us to identify individual sites on our “land use” map for specified types of future development  – housing, business use, community facilities etc.  Our Plan must not, by law, go against the strategic planning policies for the area in the District Council’s local development plan. However, it can help decide where such development should be located, and what it will look like.

Third, once the Plan is adopted in a local Referendum, it means that Saxmundham can access additional funding for our common good, through developers’ contributions to a “Community Infrastructure Levy”.

Our Plan needs to be realistic, but also imaginative, helping our town grow in a good way – to make positive change happen.  We need everybody’s voice to be heard –  all age groups, residents, businesses, community groups… 

In formal terms, our Neighbourhood Plan is limited to the town’s parish boundaries.  But Saxmundham’s future is bound up with that of our neighbouring villages, for which it provides a service centre, and proposals for a South Saxmundham Garden Neighbourhood – now agreed by East Suffolk Council as part of its adopted Local Plan – make it important to seek a common approach with neighbouring parish councils.