East Suffolk Council
First planning application submitted for Beccles and Worlingham Garden Neighbourhood
The first planning application for the Beccles and Worlingham Garden Neighbourhood has been submitted.
It follows a long period pre-application engagement undertaken with East Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council, and public engagement with communities in September 2024, and February and March 2025.
The application is for the “east parcel” of the Garden Neighbourhood and has been submitted by WSP on behalf of Larkfleet Ltd.
The application is for outline consent for up to 721 dwellings, including 30% affordable and 5% custom build homes, as well as employment land, a local centre, a continuing care retirement community, primary school, pre-school and public open space, including playing pitches and parks, among other associated infrastructure.
In total, the Garden Neighbourhood will aim to provide approximately 1,250 new dwellings. A single masterplan for the site has been developed for both the “east parcel” and the “west parcel” to ensure a cohesive project that will deliver infrastructure provision for both the new and existing community. A planning application for the west parcel is expected to follow in the near future.
The site was allocated for development in the East Suffolk Council – Waveney Local Plan, adopted in 2019, under Policy WLP3.1 and will bring forward housing needs within the north of the district. The government announced a further increase to housing need for East Suffolk in December 2024.
Residents, consultees and interested parties are being invited to have their say on the application for the “east parcel” through Public Access (reference DC/25/4214/OUT). The plans for the “east parcel” (including the wider masterplan) are also available through Public Access. The consultation period will run until at least 14 January, with an eventual decision being made through the Strategic Planning Committee.
For more information, visit the Beccles and Worlingham Garden Neighbourhood page of the East Suffolk Council website.
In October, East Suffolk Council approved Community Infrastructure Levy funding of £4.2million to expand Beccles Medical Centre. This will contribute toward mitigating the local population increase and its effect on primary healthcare from this Local Plan allocation.