Opposition to housing proposals north of Lowestoft
It's feared it'll put too much pressure on the sewage works
Last updated 8th Jan 2021
Proposals to build 1,300 homes north of Lowestoft next to a sewage plant should be reconsidered, according to the County Councillor for Gunton, Lowestoft, Keith Patience.
Newly revealed plans show that the 'North of Lowestoft Garden Village' site neighbours the Lowestoft Water Treatment Works - a sewage plant that regularly attracts smell complaints from residents in nearby Corton. Any residents living in the new garden village would be much closer than the current residents of Corton are.
As well as houses, the development would include employment land, a new primary school and pre-school, green infrastructure, and a shopping centre.
The consultation into the proposed development opened yesterday 4 January and the public can now view the plans online. The consultation will be open until 15 February.
Cllr Keith Patience, Labour Spokesperson for East Suffolk and Coastal Affairs at Suffolk County Council, said:
"These proposals to put 1,300 homes on the doorstep of sewage works which already means residents of nearby Corton regularly have to shut their windows because of the smell, makes me question whether this is really the best place for a so-called 'garden village'.
"Instead of another development concreting over what is left of our countryside, we should be moving investment towards Lowestoft town centre. The reality is, everyone who lives in one of these new houses is going to have to use a car to get anywhere, they will probably commute to Norwich, and there will be yet more traffic on our congested roads.
"Everyone knows there is huge demand for housing and there are plenty of brownfield sites we could develop to help regenerate Lowestoft and benefit local people. But the Tories are more interested in making a quick buck by selling off Council owned farmland and forcing people to live next to a sewage works.
"I urge local residents to make their feelings known in the consultation."
The consultation can be found here.