55 homes to be built on playing fields at Suffolk boarding school
Land at the Saint Felix School has been set aside for redevelopment
Details of a planned housing development on the former playing field of a Suffolk school have been approved despite pleas for more affordable houses.
A step has been taken towards the building of 55 homes on the land of Saint Felix School on Halesworth Road, Reydon, as an East Suffolk Council planning committee approved details of the development today.
The initial outline planning application securing the principle of development was submitted in 2015 and approved in 2019. This was for 69 homes, but the number has since been reduced to 55.
Of the 55 houses, 19 will be affordable. The outline planning permission set an obligation for 35 per cent of the homes to be designated as affordable.
This puts the acceptable number of affordable homes at 19.25; both Reydon Parish Council and Southwold councillor David Beavan stated this should at least have been rounded up to 20.
Waveney’s local plan requires 40 per cent of homes in developments to be affordable. This does not apply to the application as outline planning permission was given before the plan was published.
The affordable homes will all be situated close to each other, which is not considered ideal for developments. Officers accepted this was necessary to fulfil the requirement to build the affordable homes early on.
Reydon Parish Council feared the development would add to the high proportion of houses in the area that are used as second homes or holiday lets.
The applicant’s representative said they would not consider ensuring the homes were only used as permanent homes, when asked by Councillor Alison Cackett.
The site is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which gives it protection during development by requiring its beauty be preserved and enhanced.
Plans include felling 24 trees and building a playground in an area of woodland – causing potential habitat loss here.
The applicant promises to plant new trees to offset the loss. A management company will maintain and look after the new trees.
Natural England did not object to the development, provided conditions were added to mitigate damage to the environment and habitats. These were linked to the approval, and included the submission of a long-term plan for how the landscape and ecology will be managed and funded.
The safety of those driving on Halesworth Road was a concern for Reydon Parish Council, who suggested a roundabout could be considered as a traffic calming measure. This is an issue for the Highways Authority, who did not object to the application.
The development will benefit students at St Felix School. An agreement attached to the initial planning application stated that capital receipts from the site’s sale will be reinvested into the school for refurbishment and modernisation.
Every councillor sitting on the planning committee voted to approve the application.