A public exhibition will today present plans for 138 new homes, a 60-bedroom nursing home and 50 assisted living apartments in a Suffolk town.

The decision process has begun on proposals for the development on greenfield land off Yarmouth Road, in Melton, near Woodbridge.

Members of the public can view the plans in the pavilion at Ufford recreation ground from 5pm to 7pm today.

A public exhibition was held in June 2014 for plans to build 154 homes along with the nursing home and apartments – but Christchurch Land and Estate Ltd said it had “evolved” the design in response to consultation and surveys.

A strip of housing on the southern boundary of the site has also been removed, creating a ‘green buffer’ between the proposed and existing housing, while a footpath was added and the line of development pulled back from the perimeters of the site to give more ‘breathing space’ around the trees.

Following the first exhibition, residents of Melton met to set up a task group in objection to the plans.

Melton Parish Council had already expressed concerns about the size and location of the scheme. It was concerned the project would add to traffic problems and leave schools over-subscribed.

It also objected to the same developer’s plan to build 180 homes to the north of Woods Lane – an application which was refused by district planners but then won permission following a public inquiry in May 2015.

In its proposal for the Yarmouth Road site, Christchurch Land and Estate Ltd acknowledged that the most significant concerns raised were regarding vehicle access, additional traffic, highways impacts, housing numbers and the ability of local infrastructure to cope with the increase in housing numbers. It said the comments of local residents on specific areas of the draft indicative layout – and their concerns – had been reflected in the submitted plans.

Melton Parish Council has contacted residents to inform them of the application and renew its concerns about the application on planning grounds, in particular in connection with traffic in this area and the loss of a greenfield site.

The parish council will consider the application at a meeting on Wednesday, February 22.