Saxmundham

Our Housing Working Group gets underway

By John Findlay, convenor of housing working group.  

The Housing Working Group for the Neighbourhood Plan met on 1 March to look at the strategic issues for the new Neighbourhood Plan. These included:

PROJECTED HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

The District Council is currently reviewing its Local Plan, with possible significant expansion for Saxmundham, of up to 1000 new houses. Such development would help meet Government housing targets and would generate a considerable increase in the Community Infrastructure Levy, which developers have to pay to the District and Town Councils towards local infrastructure projects. The Group recognised that new development was inevitable, but that the Neighbourhood Plan could be vital in affecting the location and nature of the new housing and the infrastructure needed in terms of schools, healthcare and transport.

It is also important that we work with the surrounding villages, and with local housing campaigns, as they too will be affected by pressure for new housing in the wider Saxmundham area.

COMMUNITY NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS

The Group considered the nature of the different social and economic groups in the town, and what their housing needs might be, including cheap-to-rent and cheap-to-buy properties, sizes of homes and the supporting infrastructure needed. We will also need to work with other groups within our Neighbourhood Plan on issues such as the local economy and employment.

NEXT STEPS

The Neighbourhood Plan will be developing over this year and 2019, so it will be important to develop ideas and plans in consultation with the local community as soon as possible.

The Group is therefore meeting again on 27th March.

VOLUNTEERS 

If you would like to be a member of the Housing Working group, and help us draw up proposals and options for consultation with the wider community on the scale, type and location of housing in Saxmundham, please contact us at saxmundhamplan@gmail.com .