Saxmundham Neighbourhood Plan

New District Council Local Plan will propose new “South Saxmundham Garden Neighbourhood” – including 800 new dwellings

Friday, July 6th, 2018 1:52 pm

The Saxmundham Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group has just received a draft of the District Council officers’ report due to go very soon to the elected councillors’ Cabinet for approval.  It will then open a period of public consultation, for the 8 weeks from Friday 20th July until Friday 14th September 2018.   We will provide details of how to comment/give feedback, as soon as we know.

We already have a public meeting planned for this coming Wednesday evening, 11th July, at 7 p.m. at the Market Hall, to consider the various environmental aspects of Saxmundham’s future.  This document adds new dimensions to our discussion…  We are also holding a “drop-in” morning at the Market Hall on Saturday 14th July, 10 – 12.30, to provide information and listen to your views.

The original pdf was too heavy to load on this site, so we have reconstructed it in 3 parts so far (there is more…) – the format has been slightly changed in the process but not the content, so note that page numbering may differ slightly from the original.  Here goes:

Suffolk Coastal Local Plan Pt 1 to p.156

Part 2 – Area Specific Strategies

Part 3 – draft local plan (contains the specific Saxmundham stuff at the start) 

 The overall Strategy for Saxmundham

 What follows is a direct quote from the draft document: 

“Saxmundham will continue to be a thriving retail, employment and service centre, serving a key role in meeting the needs of its residents, surrounding rural communities and visitors, recognising the opportunities related to the connections offered by the rail and A12 transport corridors.

The strategy for Saxmundham is to :

a) Enhance the vitality and vibrancy of the town centre, including through protecting and enhancing the historic core of the town;

b) Utilise opportunities related to the presence of the railway and the proximity to the A12;

c) Diversify and expanding employment opportunities;

d) Enhance pedestrian and cycle connectivity around and beyond the town, particularly to the town centre and the railway station;

e) Promote quality of life through enhancements to networks of green infrastructure; and

f) Increase the provision of housing and affordable housing, and providing greater choice in the mix of housing available.

The creation of the South Saxmundham Garden Neighbourhood will provide new opportunities for housing, employment and community facilities, focused around the principles of an inclusive community and integration with Saxmundham and the surrounding countryside through enhancing green infrastructure networks.” 

And here is the specific Policy proposal for the “South Saxmundham Garden Neighbourhood

Policy SCLP12.26: South Saxmundham Garden Neighbourhood

 

Approximately 44ha [hectares] of land for a garden neighbourhood is identified to the south of Saxmundham, which includes land within the parish of Benhall, for an education led development, comprising primary school provision, community facilities and employment land alongside a variety of residential development. This new development will be delivered through a master plan approach brought forward through landowner collaboration and community engagement.

Critical to the success of this master plan will be the integration of the new garden neighbourhood with the existing community of Benhall and Saxmundham, as well as taking into account the location of the site.

The master plan should be informed by community engagement and include:

a) Provision of a primary school with early years provision;

b) Appropriate green infrastructure provision to provide accessible natural green space and retention and enhancement of the natural features on the site such as trees, woodland and hedgerows to be incorporated into the layout of the development;

c) Appropriate open space provision for both informal and formal recreational opportunities;

d) Public rights of way on the site should be preserved and enhanced;

e) Biodiversity networks and habitats to be preserved and enhanced;

f) Design and layout that supports a dementia friendly environment;

g) Provision of new vehicular access points off the A12 and the B1121 supported by further access for pedestrian and cycle traffic in other locations;

h) Employment land; and

i) Approximately 800 dwellings of a range of types, sizes and tenures including housing to meet the needs of older people and younger people, and provision of self-build plots.”

The Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group will consider all this in detail and provide further information.

 

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