Plans to build 141 homes in Red Lodge have been approved by West Suffolk Council, despite concerns about potential parking problems.
The application to build 141 homes on the site immediately adjacent to the Kings Warren housing development was approved by West Suffolk Council’s development control committee last Wednesday, with 11 votes in favour and five against.
It comes after the committee deferred the decision in July, asking for clarification about the standard of design for main roads and paths, emergency vehicle access, boundary strategy, and parking availability and restrictions. It also requested that a site visit was carried out.
After the deferment, developer Crest Nicholson Eastern undertook a site visit and agreed road, foot and cycle path designs with the highway authority.
However, concerns were still raised around parking on the development.
Independent councillor for Haverhill East, John Burns, said: “The actual development itself I don’t have a major problem with.
“Parking is the bare minimum of course, primarily because parking standards are so bad these days.
“We all know what’s going to happen – people will park in the road because there won’t be enough parking spaces for the houses.
“I spoke to residents at a house in Thistle Way, who had not been advised about this development or about the proposed traffic regulation order restricting parking. They found out from someone driving an excavator on site.
“This may be legal, but I don’t think it is morally acceptable.
“Yes, there is parking around the back, but there are only six spaces allocated – which is not enough for all the houses which need the spaces.
“I, for one, will not be voting in favour of this.”
Having previously objected to the plan on the basis of parking and highway issues, Red Lodge Parish Council stated it now has no objections – in light of the further information provided by the applicant and Highway Authority.
Of the 141 planned homes, 32 will be classed as affordable dwellings and ten as affordable maisonettes.
The new Red Lodge development site is made up of mostly agricultural land, and is bounded by woodland and a farm track to the east.
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