Controversial plans for 150 homes in Felixstowe have been recommended for approval three years after their submission.

The plans were submitted by Generator Optima Group in June 2021 for up to 150 new homes on agricultural land north of Conway Close and Swallow Close, in Felixstowe.

On Tuesday, 24 September, members of East Suffolk's planning committee are due to give a final decision after the plans were deferred in May to seek an independent highway and transport review of the plans and their effects.

The deferral followed several highway and traffic concerns from residents, who submitted 46 objection letters which included concerns over the development's proximity to Kingsfleet Primary School.

A point also raised several times was the overdevelopment of the area, with the proposed site sitting opposite Laureate Fields, where 196 new homes by the same developer were approved in 2016.

One of the objections reads: "The over-development of the Laureate Fields site by the same developer has resulted in buildings that are out of scale with the area, oppressive in their proximity to existing properties and inconsistent with the local vernacular."

Following the meeting in May, a review was completed and officers concluded they found no shortcomings in the overall transport assessment of the plans, subject to conditions from the county council highways department.

The officer report said: "This further stage or review and scrutiny adds confidence to the recommendation that there would be no adverse highway effects of the development and the number of homes planned, associated vehicles and pedestrians and cyclists can be safely accommodated within the highway network and with no severe impacts on its capacity."

Although the application is for up to 150 homes, the officer's report states the reality is the scheme is more likely to deliver between 50 and 75 new homes, with a 33 per cent affordable housing requirement.

The officer's report concluded the development would be acceptable subject to conditions and cited several benefits of the scheme — these included the creation of jobs in the construction industry and the long-term benefit to facilities and services in Felixstowe from new resident spending.

Alongside the proposals are agreements for statutory development contributions totalling just over £2.75 million which could be used to boost community infrastructure and schools.

If approved next week, the plans would still need to come back to the council so finer details to do with the development's appearance, layout, scale, and landscaping could be decided.