East Suffolk Council has multiple roles in this project – landowner and potential developer, leisure centre provider and Local Planning Authority.
As landowners of the central part of the site East Suffolk Council is leading the master-planning process, engaging with the other landowners throughout. There is the potential for East Suffolk Council to take on a developer role once the masterplan has been approved.
With a clear distinction between the roles of the Regeneration and Planning teams, officers are making sure communications between the teams are carried out appropriately.
The Suffolk Coastal Local Plan 2020 identifies where growth should be located and how it should be delivered for the former Suffolk Coastal part of East Suffolk. The Plan sets out the strategic and non-strategic planning policies which the Council will use to determine planning applications across the former Suffolk Coastal area. The policy for the North Felixstowe Garden Neighbourhood states that this new development will be delivered through a masterplan approach brought forward through landowner collaboration and community engagement. It also outlines what should be included in the master-plan which the Key Elements of the masterplan are based on.
August 2017 –Local Plan Issues and Options document was prepared for consultation.
July 2018 - First Draft Plan was published for public consultation and an evidence base was prepared.
January 2019 - the Final Draft Plan (which was informed by consultation responses and revised evidence base) was published to invite representations in relation to soundness.
March 2019 – the Final Draft Plan document was submitted for examination by Suffolk Coastal District Council and after this, the representations received were considered by the Planning Inspectorate.
September 2020 – The Local Plan was adopted.
The project team appreciates the value of these assets for the environment and the community and are approaching the master-planning process with this at the forefront of our minds. All factors need to be considered as part of the wider masterplan and future open space for recreation may look different but the ambition is to improve the provision. Protecting and enhancing the Grove Woodland and Eastward Ho is central to the master-planning work.
The residential led, mixed use Trelawny Place development was initially refused but allowed on appeal. The planning application was submitted prior to the North Felixstowe Garden Neighbourhood allocation. Creating a masterplan for the whole site is an opportunity to integrate Trelawny Place with future development and take into consideration lessons learnt from the Trelawny Place development. A comprehensive holistic approach to join up with Trelawny place is a priority for the master-planning process.
The allocation for the North Felixstowe site in the Local Plan is for up to 2,000 dwellings (including 560 within the Trelawny Place development) which should provide a mix of housing types, sizes and tenures, including housing to meet the specialised housing needs of older, younger and vulnerable people and self-build plots, and provision of affordable housing. The aim is for the masterplan to meet the provisions set out in the local plan, with social and community led housing included.
We are looking for interest in community led housing – if you are interested in housing that is owned or managed by the community in a not-for-profit basis please get in touch by emailing hello@northfelixstowe.co.uk.
The allocation for the North Felixstowe site in the Local Plan includes a Community Hub, which could comprise a range of potential uses such as a convenience store, shops, meeting places, education facilities, care facilities and medical facilities to be created in accessible locations. The aim is for the masterplan to meet the provisions set out in the local plan and work with and for the existing Felixstowe community. The project team is working with Suffolk County Council’s Education Team and The NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) to ensure the needs of the community are met and the potential of the site is realised.