Stowmarket Area Action Plan

The Stowmarket Area Action Plan is a formal planning policy document and sets out relevant planning policies to guide future development in Stowmarket and its immediate surrounding villages. It includes policies for retail in the town centre, requirements for design, and policies for the town’s river valleys and the historic environment. It also proposes to allocate specific sites to ensure that there is sufficient land for future growth in employment, housing, retail, and recreation. These allocations are for employment and residential uses which could accommodate up to 2,000 new dwellings.


September 2011

The Examination in Public for Mid Suffolk’s Stowmarket Area Action Plan was due to start on Tuesday 20th September 2011. The Inspector appointed to examine the ‘Stowmarket Area Action Plan’ has maintained her concerns that the Stowmarket Area Action Plan does not conform to the policies in Mid Suffolk’s Core Strategy. Leading up to the examination, Mid Suffolk provided the Inspector with further information to explain the Council’s view, however the Inspector did not move from her position.

Therefore, the Council decided to ask the Inspector to suspend the examination of the Stowmarket Area Action Plan to conduct two focus changes to Policy CS8 and the Employment chapter within the Core Strategy. The partial review will update the Core Strategy with recent evidence and assessments which in turn will bring the Stowmarket Area Action Plan into conformity.

The Inspector has granted the suspension.  Correspondence is available below which explains the background to this decision:

Inspector's Letter 09/09/11

Council's e-mail 13/09/11

Inspector's reply 14/09/11

Council's letter in reply to Inspector's letter 16/09/11

Inspector's letter 19/09/11

Council's letter 22/09/11

Inspector's letter 23/09/11

Inspector's letter 02/11/11


Previous Correspondence

'draft National Planning Policy Framework' consultation reponses are available from the following webpage.

'Planning for Growth' consultation responses are available from the following webpage.

The 'pre-examination hearing' took place on Thursday 21st July 2011 at Mid Suffolk District Council Offices, Needham Market. Further information, details and material are available here.

Sustainability Appraisal: Consultation May 2011. Further information is obtainable via this link.

An 'exploratory meeting' took place on: Wednesday 9th February 2011, at Mid Suffolk District Council Offices, Needham Market.  Further information is available from the following webpage


Submission  

The Stowmarket Area Action Plan (SAAP) was submitted to the Secretary of State on 30 November 2010.  Information and documentation related to the submission is available on the  Stowmarket Area Action Plan: Submission webpage.   


Previous consultations

Work on the Stowmarket Area Action Plan (SAAP) began in September 2008.  Information and documentation related to the previous consultations is available on the  Stowmarket Area Action Plan: Previous Consultations webpage.