Decision on 300 new homes for Stowmarket delayed
The site would go over 13 hectares of agricultural land
Last updated 21st Jul 2022
A decision on plans for up to 300 houses in Stowmarket has been deferred due to councillors’ concerns, including about pressure of more vehicles on highways and the single point of access to the site.
The recommendation for outline planning permission to be granted for the proposed dwellings at Ashes Farm, Newton Road, was put to a development control committee of Mid Suffolk District Council on Wednesday.
The proposed site area covers just over 13 hectares, most of which has been used for agricultural purposes. Bordering on the east would also be farmland, with livestock buildings that make up Diapers Farm. South of the proposed site is residential development, and the west is bounded by a railway line linking London to Norwich.
Conservative councillor Barry Humphreys said: “It says in the planning document that development should only be prevented or refused on the grounds of highways if there would be an unacceptable impact on highway safety or the residential cumulative impact on the road network would be severe.
“I can tell you as a resident of Stowmarket that the impact on the highway is already severe, in my opinion and in the opinion of many residents.
“We are going to compound that now by putting another 300 vehicles up and down Newton Road.
“I just don’t get it.”
An issue raised by the committee was the single entrance point in designs, which was the case due to assumptions that another point would be created by developing the adjacent Diapers Farm – still just a proposal.
One condition of deferment was that officers would return to the committee with plans for Diapers Farm and answers to questions about Ashes Farm, so the two sites could be considered together.
Cllr Sarah Mansel, who suggested the proposed path to be created on the western side of Newton Road could be made wider than planned to allow for cyclists, said: “There’s just too many unknowns here.
“We always seem to be to our colleagues in Highways England, and whatever they say is necessary is all we get.
“I really think we ought to be doing better than the bare minimum, and to be looking at things in a more strategic way.
“If we really want to get traffic off the roads, we need to make it easier for people to walk or cycle, and that just never seems to happen.”
Cllr Tim Passmore, who put forward the proposal for deferment, said: “A heck of a lot of work has gone into this, but there are questions that need answering.”
Officers will report back on the appropriateness of active travel arrangements, including cycling, walking and taking the bus; the single access point into the development; the impact on highways in Stowmarket, and the housing mix – including market housing.
Representations submitted by 14 people prior to the meeting found a number of concerns in areas such as the capacity of the town’s infrastructure (such as roads, schools and doctors’ surgeries) and the flood risk caused by the proximity to the river and the poor level of drainage and sewerage systems already in place.