Final stage of consultation for West Suffolk Local Plan is greenlit at meeting
The final stage of consultation on a framework for housing and employment growth has been approved.
At the West Suffolk Council meeting on Tuesday, councillors voted to approve the West Suffolk Local Plan to go out to a third and final stage of consultation early next year.
Once adopted, the local plan will guide how and where new homes and employment will be built to the year 2040.
The new local plan will allocate sites for 5,211 new homes alongside 9,075 homes that already have planning permission and a windfall allowance of 1,200 homes. The total number it needs to deliver over the plan period is 13,702 but the local plan deliberately over allocates to allow for flexibility over the plan period.
It was noted at the meeting that over the years there has been difficulty in developing Brandon, near Thetford, because of a Special Protection Area.
Cllr Jim Thorndyke, cabinet member for planning, said: “But I want to give my assurance that cabinet members remain committed to coming up with a solution to deliver growth in Brandon.”
He also said the council has made two significant commitments to this plan for the town and the growth on the A11 corridor.
The third round of consultation will form a legal test of the plan to check it ahead of submitting to the Secretary of State. A Government appointed planning inspector will then hold an examination in public before the plan finally comes back to council to adopt.
Cllr Thorndyke said: “This local plan is about people – the people we represent and the future generations that come. It’s about housing our communities, it’s about helping new and existing businesses to grow.
“I am grateful to my fellow councillors for all their invaluable input to date and for agreeing the plan for consultation. This plan has evolved over three years of hard work and dedication by councillors.”
