East Suffolk Council
North Felixstowe Q&A event hears from residents
East Suffolk Council continued its ongoing engagement with local communities with a ‘Question and Answer’ event about the proposed North Felixstowe Garden Neighbourhood, attended by around 160 people on Thursday evening.
East Suffolk Council is leading the master-planning process for a new leisure-led garden neighbourhood to the north of the town, and residents were invited to Felixstowe School to ask a panel of elected representatives a range of questions about the proposals.
The event is the latest in a series of engagement and consultation activities which will help East Suffolk produce its Masterplan for a site which was identified for development by the agreed Local Plan. Attendees were also able to scrutinise a range of boards containing visual representations of the draft proposals.
Questions were put to panellists from East Suffolk Council, Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Coastal MP Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, and covered a range of themes including housing need and the requirement for the scheme, the opportunity for the project to be changed or influenced, concerns around Eastward Ho & The Grove, infrastructure requirements and leisure.
Cllr Caroline Topping, Leader of East Suffolk Council, said: “I am delighted that so many people came to Felixstowe School for this event and that they took the opportunity once again to ask robust questions about our proposals.
“The Suffolk Coastal Local Plan, which was approved in 2020 by an independent inspector, details evidence-led housing need across the south of the district and has identified this location as a site for 1400 new dwellings to meet demand.
“However, consultation and engagement through this process is incredibly important and will absolutely influence the final decisions about the Masterplan. We know that local communities have strong views about these plans, which is why we have been so committed to a listening approach, and this will continue throughout.”