Tuddenham St Martin, near Ipswich, could grow nearly 20 per cent if controversial housing development approved

A village near Ipswich could grow by nearly 20 per cent if a controversial housing development is approved.

The development, put forward by Bennett Homes, a local housebuilder, would see 25 new homes, eight of which would be affordable, being built on a 1.54ha plot of land at the tail end of Keightley Way, on the edge of Tuddenham St. Martin.

Should all proposed bedrooms be filled, the village could see a population increase of around 60 people, an 18 per cent increase from its estimated 323 residents.

This increase has led to a total of 75 objection letters being submitted to East Suffolk Council raising concerns over the increase in traffic on junctions and the lack of sufficient village services.

A representation letter from the parish council said: “The 25 proposed new dwellings at this location, in a village with very few village amenities, poor public transport, without footways in places and only small footways in other places, and very small narrow roads would make living in the area very different and profoundly worse for some villagers.

“The parish council have been made aware that some residents have already considered selling up and moving away from the village due to the proposals.”

Another resident also wrote: “The road system is not sufficient to

support the houses already in place, and adding on a further 25 houses will make this unfeasible.

“The density of buildings in an area such as a village should reflect the accessibility.”

Despite the concerns, Edward Parker, managing director of Bennett Homes, said the development would be beneficial to residents and maintained extensive consultation had taken place.

He added: “Throughout the process, we have taken considerable time and care to create a distinctive development and consulted extensively on it, revising the scheme several times to reflect local feedback.

“Our proposed development in Tuddenham St Martin will bring significant benefits to the local community in providing much-needed high quality new homes to address the current shortage.”

Mr Parker also guaranteed all new houses would be highly energy-efficient with heating provided by air source heat pumps.

The application will be considered by members of East Suffolk’s planning committee next week, January 23, with officer’s recommendation being one of approval.