NOTES OF SOUTH WEST IPSWICH

							                                             NOTES OF NORTH WEST IPSWICH
                                                AREA FORUM HELD ON
                                           WEDNESDAY 6TH FEBRUARY 2008, 7PM
                                           THURLESTON SCHOOL, DEFOE ROAD


This North West Ipswich Area Forum was very well attended by residents from across the three
wards of North West Ipswich.

Councillors present: Councillor David Goldsmith (Castle Hill), Councillor Anthony James
(Whitehouse), Councillor Don Ward (Whitton), Councillor Robin Vickery (Castle Hill), Councillor
Steven Wells (Whitton), Councillor John Carnall (St John’s), Councillor Michelle Bevan-Margetts
(Whitton) and Councillor Richard Atkins (St Margaret’s).

Apologies: Councillor Tony Lewis (Whitehouse and SCC – Whitton and Whitehouse), Reverend
Andrew Dotchin (Whitton Church), Ann Taylor (Whitton Primary School) and Derek Lockwood
(Resident)


1.   Welcome and Introductions
     Terry Hayward, Director IBC, welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made.

     Feedback from Previous Forum Meeting
     Minutes were available from the meeting held on 31 October 2007 at Castle Hill Community
     Centre, along with the ‘What you said/What we did’ feedback.

2.   Northern Fringe Development – Russell Williams, Head of Planning, Transport &
     Regeneration IBC
     Local Development Framework – The Process
     Key Stage 1 – Issues & Options:
         2005-2007
         An opportunity to influence before the Council decided what it wants to do
         No legal requirement to consult the public or developers
         c9000 comments received from c1000 people

     Key Stage 2 – Preferred Options:
         The current stage
         The Council is indicating the direction it thinks planning policy should go
         Not a draft of the final document
         A sustainability appraisal report has also been published
         A 6 week consultation period

     Key Stage 3 – Submission of Documents:
         Late 2008
         The Council will submit a draft of the final document(s) to Government
         Will also need to set out how the Council has addressed comments made on earlier
            stages of the process
         A 6 week consultation period




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Key Stage 4 – The Independent Examination(s):
    Late 2009 and after
    Run by a Planning Inspector on behalf of the Government
    All those, and only those, that comment on the submission documents will have an
       opportunity to appear at the Examination(s)
    The Examination(s) will look at the process and the ‘soundness of the plan’.

Key Stage 5 – The Inspector’s Report and the Adoption of the Documents:
    Early 2010 and after
    Council will receive and publish the Report(s)
    To adopt the Plan(s) and the Council must make all changes recommended by the
       Inspector

The Development Plan:
    Will be made up of main LDF documents and the Regional Spatial Strategy
    Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004:
      ‘If regard is to be had to the development plan for the purposes of any determination
      under the planning Acts the determination must be made in accordance with the plan
      unless material considerations indicate otherwise.’

The Regional Spatial Strategy – Its Role:
    Providing a regional dimension to national policy
    Setting targets for local authorities
    The LDF will need to be in general conformity with the Regional Strategy
    Will be part of the development plan

The Regional Spatial Strategy – Producing the East of England Strategy:
    Similar(ish) to the LDF process
    Draft plan published in 2004
    Independent Inspector’s Report published in June 2006
    The Government has published its proposed changes to the Plan
    Final Regional Strategy is likely to be adopted in Spring 2008

Conclusions:
    Complicated process
    It takes time
    Plenty of opportunity for comment
    It is a bit boring but if people want to get involved understanding the process is important
    The Council does need to work within the framework set up nationally
    And then there is the planning application system

Local Development Framework – Preferred Options
Draft Regional Strategy Contents – Housing Numbers (Ipswich Borough):
    Draft Regional Spatial Strategy – 770 p.a. = 15400 total (at least)
    Another 4600 just outside the boundary

The Current Consultation:
    Up to 25th February 2008
    A number of methods of involving people
    Letters, the web-site, the forums, the Angle, drop-in sessions, this event
    The Council is putting forward its ‘preferred options’ for consultation




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The Documents:
    Over 600 pages
    65 Policy Areas
    Greenfield development is one of them
    100’s of individual sites
    It is not just about North Ipswich

The Issues – Some relevant issues for North Ipswich:
    Residential density – apartments or houses
    The balance between jobs and houses
    The availability of (other) sites
    The need for affordable housing
    Infrastructure
    Flooding

North Ipswich – 4 key questions at the Issues and Options stage:
    Is major Greenfield development required?
    If it is, where should it go?
    If it is, how large should it be?
    If it is, when should it happen?

Is major Greenfield development required?
     The Preferred Options do not include the northern fringe as an allocation
     But is it included as a possible broad location for future growth for the period after 2021
     It is an Ipswich wide issue – numbers elsewhere matter

If it is, where should it go?
       6 options were put forward
       None of them are proposed to be allocated
       The broad location for future growth identifies three of the 6

If it is, how large should it be?
       None allocated up to 2021
       Principle and, if appropriate, numbers therefore still to be determined.

If it is, when should it happen?
       If other numbers stack up then after 2021
       If at all

Other sites in the North West Forum Area:
    Old Norwich Road                 Bury Road                              Henniker Road
    Bramford Road                    Deben Road                             Stratford Road
    Larchcroft Road                  Dales Road                             Defoe Road

Key Issues:
    Does the rest of the town have the capacity for the dwellings without the northern fringe?
    What should the balance be between higher density developments and lower density
       developments?
    Should building take place in the floodplain?
    What about development outside the Borough boundary? Especially Suffolk Coastal.




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Conclusions:
    North Ipswich is an important issue when discussing planning the future of Ipswich
    But it is not the only important issue
    This is an opportunity to influence the Council
    If you agree with the Council still respond
    At the next stage the Council will be submitting its draft documents to the Government

Questions and Answers – the following is a summary of questions raised by
residents/councillors along with the responses provided by IBC Planning Officers:

If the Ipswich Angle is due to be sent out within a fortnight, ie 20 February and objections are
required by 25 February, isn’t this too short a time period to submit objections?
The Angle is being delivered this week and next week. The public have been consulted via
many different means and the Angle is a final consultation. It is not perfect but it is adequate.

With all the additional housing, in 10 years time will there be more foreigners here all wanting to
be housed?
Cannot comment on immigration. However, with the natural increase in population and smaller
households, additional houses will be required.

In the 50’s and 60’s people who had been living in rows of terraced houses and who all knew
each other were moved into flats. The flats failed socially and have been knocked down. In 20-
30 years time, will the flats you are building now be knocked down?
We can learn from that past experience.

Bramford Road cannot take the additional traffic the development will generate?
Traffic is an issue at many of the developments. However, if we built further out of town it’s likely
to cause a bigger issue and people would be more inclined to drive into town than cycle or walk.

Sugar Beet Factory – Babergh District Council refused an application for this area. The
applicant however is now going to the High Court to appeal this decision. Would this count
towards housing numbers?
It would not count directly towards the housing numbers. For further information, please contact
Development Control at Babergh on 01473 825858.

In 2021, will the road system be able to cope?
The Council are proposing some traffic solutions.

What are you proposing to cope with traffic on the A14? Will you be considering a northern relief
road?
The Council are pushing forward with one idea, a crossing across the Wet Dock and New Cut
West, and also calling for a new investigation into the possibility of a northern by pass – although
this would lie outside the Ipswich boundary.

How much affordable housing are you planning?
A study was undertaken 2-3 years ago looking into detail at what people can afford. Target
should be 35% affordable housing.

Does 7000 houses mean houses or housing units.
It means housing units – dwellings.

What arrangements have been made for schools, shops, sports facilities etc?
Plans in place for 2 new primary schools, vast investment into Suffolk New College and
University Campus Suffolk. 8 Secondary Schools in the Town working together to introduce a
new 14-19 centre. 4 doctors surgeries have been highlighted for expansion.




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Where will all the cars park belonging to owners of the new houses?
Most will have 1 car parking space per unit, adjacent to their property. Highways Department will
be consulted regarding introduction of yellow lines in difficult areas.

Why doesn’t Ipswich have a definitive map detailing public rights of way and footpaths? It is the
only Town in England that doesn’t have it and it has been a legal requirement since 1981.
People will not be able to get mortgages if the property runs through a public right of way.
It is the responsibility of Suffolk County Council to produce this map.

Regarding compulsory purchase, give an example of when you would envisage using this,
particularly relating to the back gardens in Bramford Road.
The Council has a wide range of compulsory purchase powers, which are used on very rare
occasions. They would not be enforced unless the issue is of Borough wide significance.

With traffic lights on Bramford Road busy every day, can you use this development opportunity
to introduce an additional road linking to the Morrisons Road?
These two roads have not been joined as the Council wanted to ensure a good residential
environment in the new development. However, the site at the very end of Bramford Road
should join in with Europa Way.

How much allowance has been made for the number of students coming to UCS?
The Council are working with Suffolk New College and University Campus Suffolk to try to
predict how many students will be coming from out of town. Most will be local and we are
working towards having enough units provided for them in the town.

Different housing densities are shown on different sites. How do you decide which density and
why?
Depending on the location and access to facilities, for example, developments near shopping
centres are considered more appropriate for high density housing (ie flats).

Some trees with preservation orders near the Hayhill Allotment development have been chopped
down. How do you monitor developments taking place and how will you carry out adequate
monitoring with so much development taking place? What are the consequences of this?
If it is a protected tree it is a criminal offence to cut it down without permission. Staff are visiting
areas of concern. Please report any concerns regarding trees under threat.

Will the Council give in to pressure from developers regarding the green field site behind
Tuddenham Road and will it be before 2021? What certainty do we have that greenfield
development at north Ipswich will not take place?
Cannot give a definitive answer. Anyone can make a planning application at any time and the
Council are obliged to consider every application, but at the moment the Council is not promoting
development there.

How will proposals to allocate gardens or for developments near our houses affect our house
price?
Property value is not a planning consideration – matters such as traffic generation and
residential amenity are and these can impact on values.

Why 15400 homes?
15400 homes because the Government at a national level assessed the need across the
Country, largely driven by what they see the demand to be. Approximately 50000 in Suffolk. The
Council has to work to the regional plan and also need to show where development can go after
2021.




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    If the consultation shows significant opposition, is it possible the changes will be implemented in
    the given time frame?
    The Council will consider the many comments received. The Council will make any changes
    deemed beneficial. There will be other stages in the consultation process for comments to be
    made.

    What progress has been made to meet the target for jobs in the area?
    Cranes site may be retained for employment purposes. But allocating land for employment does
    not necessarily lead to development taking place. In planning we tend to measure land rather
    than jobs – jobs figures will be monitored through the Census.

    Has the Council contacted everyone on the 2001 database? When will the Environmental Report
    be available for inspection? Why have we not received the Angle yet?
    The Council has met its commitments in terms of contacting people. The Environment Report
    (i.e. the Sustainability Appraisal) is available to view on the website. The Angles are to be sent
    to Parish Councils in the next few days.

    Discovery Walk – a planning application has been approved for this development in Europa
    Way, Ipswich. When will this commence?
    We do not have information on when Europa Way will commence and would suggest that you
    speak to the agent advertised on the board at the site to find out more.

    Co-op Distribution, Boss Hall Estate – a few weeks ago, it was reported in the Evening Star that
    the Co-op distribution centre was closing during February. Does this mean the whole site is
    going to be closed or just the distribution depot? Are there plans for this site on either a
    residential or business basis?
    Our information is that Boss Hall is not currently for sale. The site is identified as an employment
    area in the adopted Local Plan and the current Local Development Framework consultation
    documents do not propose any change to that.

3. Info Tea Break
    An essential part of the Forum where residents were invited to raise any issues directly with their
    local Councillors, Police and other Service Providers.

4. Round up/Feedback of issues raised
   Parking on Fircroft Road – Yellow Line restricting parking outside shops on Fircroft Road
   between 8am-6pm. However, cars are constantly parking here and in the bus stop. Parking
   attendants have not been seen and signage is believed to be inadequate.
   This has been reported to StreetCare parking services. They have confirmed they patrol the
   area. If you have any further parking issues please contact StreetCare on 01473 433000.

Next Meeting: The next North West Ipswich Area Forum will be held on Wednesday 28th May 2008,
7pm at Whitton Church Hall.




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