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Details are posted here of any local planning issues.
15th June 2023 8pm in the Village Hall - Extraordinary Planning Meeting - ALL WELCOME!
Planning Application DC/23/1913/FUL - Full planning permission for erection of 18 dwellings together with associated garaging, vehicular and pedestrian access, drainage infrastructure and landscaping.
September 2017 - Waveney Local Plan consultation
The Parish Council agreed at its September meeting that the Locks Road site could be allocated for 14 houses insofar as the infrastructure constraints previously listed can be overcome, as the Parish Council thinks the existing drains, water supply, roads etc cannot accommodate 14 more houses. This means that, if Waveney DC include the site and a planning application is then made for 14 houses, Waveney DC will be likely to grant consent for that number, but the applicant will still have to obtain approval of house type, access and improvements to infrastructure. A copy of the Parish Council's submission can be viewed on the left of this page.
NOTE: The Waveney Local Plan, which covers the period to 2036, contains planning policies which will be used to determine planning applications in the area. It will set out the level of growth which needs to be planned for, identify where that growth should be located and how it should be delivered. In Spring last year the District Council published a number of options for the new Local Plan. Having considered all the comments received and assessed all of the sites received, they have put together a first draft plan.
You can view the plan and submit your comments BEFORE 22ND SEPTEMBER on their website at:
www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/newwaveneylocalplan
July 2017 - cancellation of potential mobile phone mast at Lower Common
The developer withdrew their proposal on 11th July following a further technical appraisal of the proposed site, so there is currently no plan for a mobile phone mast in the parish.
May 2017 - Fox Covert poultry farm
East Suffolk District Council granted planning permission on 24th May 2017. A full copy of the permission, at the end of the planning committee's report, is attached on the left hand side of this page.
Not all of the planning conditions that the Parish Council had recommended were included. Those that were not included apparently concerned matters that cannot be restricted by planning conditions. For instance, odour is instead a matter controlled by the Environment Agency under the site operator's Environmental Permit.
March 2017 - Fox Covert poultry farm
The Parish Council has recommended that Waveney District Council should grant planning permission for the demolition of the poultry units and construction of two new purpose built units. The Parish Council cannot require planning conditions, but has suggested to Waveney DC that assurances since confirmed in writing by the applicant could helpfully be reflected in planning conditions, i.e. for better traffic management, the erection of a 2m noise barrier, retro-fitting of an odour neutralisation system if monitoring subsequently reveals an odour problem, scheduling of the demolition works outside the April-Oct period, and for there to be no on-site incinerator.
The applicant has now confirmed the current roof pitch height as 4.5m, compared to a maximum possible new height of 6.008m, and that waiting lorries will from now on park in a lay-by rather than on the road adjacent to the site.
September 2016 - Draft Waveney Local Plan - Locks Road site
Waveney DC is now drawing up the first draft plan, which will be published for consultation in April / May 2017.
The Lock's Road site (number 123) attracted 32 respondents. Of the 28 responses from members of the public, only one expressed support, with a couple suggesting a few dwellings on the site could be accommodated or that small scale developments around the village would be more appropriate.
Westhall Parish Council lodged serious concerns over the suitability of the site for housing development, primarily due to road and other infrastructure shortcomings.
In addition, Anglian Water stated that development of the site would:
- have a ‘Red' impact on the water recycling centre capacity - meaning there are "major constraints to provision of infrastructure and/or treatment to serve proposed growth",
- have an ‘Amber' impact on the foul sewerage network - meaning "infrastructure and/or treatment upgrades required to serve proposed growth or diversion of assets may be required",
- have a ‘Red' impact on their assets - meaning there are "major constraints to provision of infrastructure and/or treatment to serve proposed growth",
- require surface water to be dealt with through a sustainable drainage system.
Historic England stated there could be a potential impact on the setting of a listed building and a Scheduled Monument because 'St Georges House' nearby is grade II listed, and 'Moatyards' nearby is a Scheduled Monument.
Suffolk County Council Archaeology noted that development of this site would have an ‘Amber/Green' impact, meaning a programme of archaeological work would be required through a planning condition.
Full responses are available to view online at www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/newlocalplan
Cllr Tony Goldson has confirmed there are new housing targets for Suffolk to meet but, given comments made about the Locks Road site, believes there are more suitable sites elsewhere. Even if this Westhall site is included in the Waveney Local Plan, that would simply indicate its potential availability for housing; the owner would still need to obtain planning permission.
April 2016 - Neighbourhood Plan
Westhall Parish Council considered whether a Neighbourhood Plan would benefit the parish, and at the start of February invited views from parishioners.
Westhall has approximately 140 households spread over a large agricultural area served by single track roads with passing places. The centre of the village is concentrated around Wangford Road, which is also an agricultural thoroughfare and so is in frequent use by large vehicles and machinery. The junction of Nollers Lane, the single track road from the village, with the A143 is narrow with poor visibility and there is little scope for widening and improved sight lines due to existing buildings.
Many properties in Westhall lack mains drainage and there is no piped gas. Telephone coverage is unreliable due to our distance from the exchange and the age of the copper cabling, and BT Openreach has said a fibre optic replacement would be uneconomic. Broadband speeds are considerably lower than the national average and the earliest publicised date for any improvement has been the end of 2017.
Meaningful development within any part of the parish would therefore require a considerable investment in infrastructure, and so it would seem unlikely that the parish would appeal to developers. Further, in a 2008 opinion poll the majority of parishioners stated that they did not wish to see any substantial change in the nature and size of the village. That view has not changed: in the last two months fewer than 10 responses have been received to the Parish Council's request for parishioner input, only one of which supported any form of development.
Westhall Parish Council has therefore decided not to proceed with a Neighbourhood Plan.