A planning inspector has given the go ahead for East Suffolk Council to approve between 10,000 and 12,000 new homes from Felixstowe to Aldeburgh between now and 2029.

The Government appointed inspector has passed Suffolk Coastal District Council's Local Plan, which requires 542 new homes per annum for the Plan area, or 9,756 over the plan period and the figures are used as a starting point in determining the minimum number of homes needed in the area.

Suffolk Coastal, which in April 2019, became part of East Suffolk Council, produced the paper which anticipated housing growth over the plan period. The Plan provides for significant provision of new homes at the Felixstowe Major Centre over that already made in the existing development plan documents.

The paper said Felixstowe has a wide range of services and facilities as indicated in the council's settlement hierarchy topic paper and as a consequence of the Port of Felixstowe, a large scale strategic business sector.

The inspector considered its designation as a major centre was justified and said that whilst the town is situated on a peninsula and access is largely derived via the A14 road, the Plan sets an appropriate strategy for the town.

Although a significant proportion of the proposed housing provision being made in the Plan would go to Felixstowe, he was satisfied that the new houses would come forward during the plan period.

The inspector noted that Felixstowe is the largest settlement in the Plan area and is identified as one of the two major centres in the settlement hierarchy.

The vision for Felixstowe is to retain its role as a thriving coastal resort and major centre with a comprehensive range of services and facilities. Significant housing growth is directed to the town, reflective of its role as a Major Centre, with a number of new allocations, along with existing allocations carried forward from the FPAAP.

He said the level of housing provision in Felixstowe should not be changed as a consequence of deleting the Innocence Farm employment land allocation (SCLP12.35). This is because the provision of housing in the area is not dependent upon specific provision of employment land.

The inspector also made mention of the North Felixstowe Garden Neighbourhood, which has been allocated for up to 2,000 dwellings, a leisure centre, primary school and open space, including provision for SANG, to be brought forward via a master planning process. The SANG is necessary as a recreation avoidance/mitigation measure identified through the HRA given the proximity of European sites.

The site is situated close to the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB and has value in terms of its contribution to the setting of the town. The allocation includes a significant area of land which has outline planning permission for housing.

He said the Garden Neighbourhood would be a significant strategic expansion of the town and it is important that the new community would be developed in a coherent fashion through the master planning process, with good internal access between the different components and connections to the existing transport network of the town.

The inspector said: "Whilst I am satisfied that this is feasible, an additional criterion should be included in the Policy to secure the internal connectivity within the different components of the site and to promote sustainable transport consistent with paragraph 104 of the Framework and to make the Policy effective (MM52)."

The full report can be found here on the East Suffolk Council website.