Place Shaping
Stowmarket continues to develop quickly with significant commercial and residential development seen in the town over recent years.
Stowmarket continues to develop quickly with significant commercial and residential development seen in the town over recent years.
This comes from:
- Planned development in meeting government targets to provide many more houses across the country. Examples include Aspen Grange, Cedars Park and Chilton Leys.
- The allocation of land for commercial development in previous version of the Local Plan. Examples include the commercial units along Gipping Way (Aldi, Wickes etc.) and along Gun Cotton Way (Howdens, Screwfix, Toolstation etc).
- Successful bids for special designation areas. The main example of this in the town is the inclusion of Gateway 14 in Freeport East. This zone promotes trade, innovation and investment where some normal tax and customs arrangements do not apply. Examples of the businesses locating at Gateway 14 include Bauer, Assan Panel and The Range, along with the creation of a new Innovation and Skills Centre.
- Speculative applications from entrepreneurs and new developers. The main example of this is the new Solar Farm which is to be built Land at Woodlands Farm on the eastern edge of the town going out to Badley and Needham Market. This proposal received approval from His Majesty’s Planning Inspector following local objections to the choice of site and scale of development.
- Expansion of service provision to meet new demand. The most obvious examples of this come from the provision of the Grace Cook Primary School and Trinity CEVAP School in the town.
The Town Council is involved in discussions about all of the above and firmly supports the sustainable development of the town. It sees its role as seeking to obtain the best possible outcomes for the town, in making sure that the development plans and development proposals make the best possible contributions to Stowmarket. Often, the Town Council is not the final decision-maker on these matters, but it believes that it is essential that the voices of local representatives from the town are heard in reaching decisions about the future of the town.
Stowmarket has a significant part to play within the context of the regional economy. It has worked with National Highways, the Environment Agency and Network Rail over the past couple of years, on projects and services effecting the town. We have lobbied consistently for the provision of a Sports Hub in the town, for investment in the town centre and support for the town’s community and cultural facilities. A great deal of that work has led to positive outcomes which promise to improve the town’s infrastructure and amenities.
National issues however, can be a little bit beyond our reach. For example, we know that shortages in NHS dentists and GPs are a constant concern for the people living in the local community. However, we must accept that such matters that require government level interventions to make a difference and we know that our local Member of Parliament will be active in seeking improved services for the public.
The National Planning Policy Framework is used to assess all planning applications. As this has a presumption in favour of sustainable development and as the housing targets set by government continue to increase, it is inevitable that major development will continue to increase across the country. We cannot prevent it from happening in Stowmarket but we will do all that we can to shape it so that the experience of living in Stowmarket remains an attractive option for new and existing residents.
Further information can be found in the Town Council’s Corporate Plan here.
For further information please contact David Blackburn, Town Clerk, on 01449 776393 or davidb@stowmarket.org.