East Suffolk Council

Posted by on 1 November 2021 | Comments

Tags: planning, cycling, environment

East Suffolk residents are invited to have their say on three new planning documents covering affordable housing, sustainable construction and cycling and walking.

Consultations on three draft documents have launched today (Monday 1 November): 

-           the draft Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document

-           the draft Sustainable Construction Supplementary Planning Document

-           and the draft East Suffolk Cycling and Walking Strategy.

The Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) will provide guidance on the implementation of East Suffolk Council’s affordable housing planning policies. The draft SPD covers a range of matters including types of affordable housing, identifying an appropriate mix of affordable housing, the design of affordable housing, legal agreements, carrying out local housing need assessments and making planning applications.

This consultation is now closed.

The Sustainable Construction Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) will provide guidance on the Council’s planning policies on sustainable construction, including guidance on a range of topics relating to the construction of environmentally sustainable buildings. Examples include increasing water efficiency in buildings, increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions from buildings, use of responsibly sourced and renewable materials, reducing construction waste, orienting buildings for solar gain, and using green infrastructure to increase biodiversity.

This consultation is now closed.

The draft East Suffolk Cycling and Walking Strategy provides a district-wide shortlist of cycling and walking infrastructure opportunities. The strategy aims to encourage greater use of sustainable forms of transport, reduce contributions to climate change, support the growth of the tourism industry, and to improve the health and wellbeing of residents by ensuring more trips to work, school, leisure, day-to-day errands, or public transport hubs, such as train stations or park and ride sites, are accessible by bike or on foot. Once adopted, this strategy will replace the Waveney Cycle Strategy (2016) and will cover the whole of the district.

Cllr David Ritchie, Cabinet Member for Planning and Coastal Management said: “We want to increase the opportunities for people to walk and cycle safely around the district, reducing reliance on vehicles, improving the environment, and benefiting people’s health. Our Cycling and Walking Strategy sets out ways we can do this, and we would welcome any feedback on this and on the Supplementary Planning Documents which will enable us to make decisions on future developments.”

This consultation is now closed.