We need to help protect the identity of the town of Kesgrave and the interests of our community who have seen almost continuous house-building for the last 25 years. Our quality of life is threatened by the proposal of Persimmon Homes to build more homes on the Southern edge of Kesgrave.

Spread the word to help our community!

Tweet #KesgraveAgainstExpansion

Update 25 July 2018

On Friday 20 July 2018, a fresh legal challenge by Persimmon was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate, John Murray, who had been asked to review the October 2017 decision by Paul Clark. Mr Murray has reaffirmed the decision not to allow development of Longstrops by Bell Lane in view of the planned new housing at Adastral Park. Read more information about this via this Ipswich Star article and this page on the Kesgrave Town Council website. Let’s all hope that this is the end of the matter and the area’s long-term housing plan continues to be fulfilled at Adastral Park.

Update 20 October 2017

After an appeal by Persimmon (which was heard by the Planning Inspectorate over 4 days in August), on 15 October the appeal decision was announced rejecting Persimmon’s appeal. Planning Inspector, Paul Clark, ruled that the development was unsustainable something that KAGE and many Kesgrave residents completely agree with.

Update 7 January 2017

In December, Persimmon (who clearly like making appeals and proposals in December/January given the history with this case) appealed to the Planning Inspectorate against the SCDC’s decision to reject their application for the 300 homes on land East of Bell Lane. The deadline for representations is 17 January. Persimmon have also stated that a fresh application will also be submitted soon. For more information about these issues please read our post here.

Update 10 June 2016

Persimmon’s application for the 300 homes at Bell Lane and Longstrops was rejected by the Councillors yesterday in the narrowest margin possible – with votes tied at 6 to 6, the vote by Debbie McCallum, ward member for Kesgrave, against the application became the deciding one as chairman of the planning committee.

Warnings were made by the planning office that if Persimmon appeal the decision then the Planning Inspectorate may come down on the side of Persimmon because Suffolk Coastal have not delivered the number of new houses required for the area.

Read more about the outcome and discussions at planning meeting in this Ipswich Star article.

Update 4 June 2016

The Planning Committee meet again on 9 June to decide on the proposal. There appears to be the danger that permission will be granted without any guarantee that infrastructure improvements will be put in place. Read more here.

Update 24 February 1pm

At their meeting today to consider Persimmon’s application, the SCDC Planning Committee have decided to defer their decision. The Councillors have listened to concerns and told Persimmon they need to come back with ‘bigger and better’ plans if they wish approval to be granted.

Update 22 February 2016

Suffolk Coastal District Council Planners are recommending to the SCDC Planning Committe recommendation of Persimmon’s application for the 300 homes at Bell Lane / Longstrops. The Planning Committee meet at 9am on Wednesday (24 February) to decide on the application which is 2nd on their agenda. It is a public meeting and Kesgrave Town Council representatives will speak against the application at the meeting.

Update 9 December 2015

Persimmon Homes have made an application for the phased development of 300 homes on the part of Longstrops adjacent to Bell Lane. Consultation expires on 28 December. Comments can be made direct on the SCDC Planning website for this application after registering and providing your name, email address and postal address. Persimmon hope that the delays to starting the Adastral Park housing plan have opened the door for them to develop part of the Longstrops field.

Update 20 May 2015

Supreme Court reject NANT’s appeal. See report in the Ipswich Star.

Update 18 March 2015

On deadline day, NANT appealed directly to the Supreme Court for permission to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s ruling. See reports in EADT, Heart and on the SCDC’s website.

Update 17 February 2015

As reported by the BBC today, the Court of Appeal has turned down No Adastral New Town’s (NANT’s) appeal concerning the allocation of 2,000 new houses at BT’s Adastral Park site, as part of Suffolk Coastal District Council’s core strategy. This decision has just been announced and follows a 2 day court hearing late last month. The Appeal Court judges also refused to grant NANT permission to take its case to the Supreme Court but NANT can still apply directly to the Supreme Court in an attempt to get their case heard (although such costly action is unlikely to prove fruitful for NANT other than again delaying the use of the Adastral Park site).

With SCDC’s core strategy finally free from legal challenges, the SCDC Planning Department will be better positioned to recommend that any major applications for planning permission away from Adastral Park (such as Longstrops) are rejected.

Update 10 June 2014

Kesgrave Town Council have passed on a notice from Suffolk Coastal District Council (SCDC) Planning Services that they have received a request by Savills dated 5 June 2014 (on behalf of Persimmon Homes) for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Opinion for the erection of up to 300 dwellings and associated public open space, landscape and infrastructure on land east and west of Bell Lane, Kesgrave.

SCDC Planning need comments back from the Town Council by 2 July i.e. only 3 weeks time for the Council to compile comments from local residents and submit them to SCDC Planning.

For more information please visit this blog post.

Update 5 December 2013

KAGE have today also received notification from Will Lusty at Savills about the forthcoming Community Consultation on behalf of their client Persimmon. Mr Lusty was the point of contact at Savills for the Public Consultation in February so he will be well aware of the issues already raised about housing development on Long Strops. He also says that ‘Following the public exhibition that was held in February 2013, and having reviewed the community feedback received at that exhibition, the decision has been taken to progress proposals for development of the land to the east of Bell Lane, instead’. Our assumption is that Savills/Persimmon feel it will be easier to get permission for the ‘Bell Lane’ half of Long Strops first (and then presumably the ‘Dobbs Lane/Millennium Field’ half later).

Please do note that the proposed development is contrary to Suffolk Coastal District’s Local Plan as per point 4.14 on page 66 which sets out how they plan to satisfy the expected need for the creation of 2,320 new homes from 2010 to 2027 – this mainly being done via 2,000 new homes at Adastral Park. This part of the Local Plan is however subject to judicial review in the High Court on 16 and 17 January 2014 after NANT lodged a legal claim earlier this year and it is perhaps hope of further delay in the Council’s ability to deliver the new homes at Adastral Park that has led to Persimmon’s fresh ‘assault’ on the fields at Long Strops. If the proposed Adastral Park development survives the High Court review and is fully cleared to proceed, one would question why Savills/Persimmon would want to pursue their Long Strops proposal when the District Council have set out where expected demand for new homes will be satisfied over the next 14 years because as such the Planning Department would presumably recommend any proposal at Long Strops be rejected by the Council.

A couple of further things to bear in mind are that i) as per point 4.16 of the Local Plan it appears there will be a detailed Area Action Plan prepared to assess more exactly the number of new homes to be built at Adastral Park so it is possible the 2,000 homes may have to be scaled back and ii) the Local Plan does warn, at point 4.17, that longer term there may well be a need for further new homes and they intend reviewing their Local Plan with the aim of setting out by 2015 options for further future development.

The Local Plan and other Core Strategy documents can be accessed from here.

Update 3 December 2013

Persimmon are having a Public Consultation on Thursday 12 December at the KWM Community Centre from 4pm to 8pm regarding development of the ‘other half’ of the land at Long Strops. For more info see this blog post or our Facebook page.

Update 11 March 2013

On 4 March the SCDC Planning Services issued an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening Opinion stating that Persimmon Homes would have to include an Environmental Statement with their planning application. A copy of the screening opinion report with detailed reasoning can be viewed via this blog post.

Update 16 February 2013

Thank you for sending your comments to Persimmon following their exhibition on Wednesday 6 February. We now all need to wait until a planning application is submitted.

KAGE are still getting feedback that people have not heard about this proposed development. Please help spread the word across Kesgrave! Persimmon’s proposals do affect the whole of the Town – there is a knock-on effect on all Kesgrave Schools and the main Kesgrave roads as well deterioration in the Open Space by Long Strops which is used by many residents (and their dogs!).

On Thursday 14 February we had an encouraging meeting with Planning Services at Suffolk Coastal District Council. They share the same concerns as the local community on schools, roads etc and are adamant that, should Persimmon proceed with an application, they will not recommend it to the Council Members due to current planning policy. Even though Savills are aware of this policy, they confirmed to KAGE on Monday 11 February that Persimmon still intend to submit a planning application in March, so we need to remain prepared.

We are looking for some additional support. Please contact us directly via facebook or email, if you can help with one of the following:

– We need help from a Solicitor, with expertise in conveyancing;
– Anyone with experience in significant planning applications/objections or the planning process;
– Photographs of Long Strops, especially including any endangered wildlife (Skylarks, Bats).

If Persimmon’s proposals are not rejected then is there not a danger that, in time, Grange Farm’s Southern boundary will become Foxhall Road (instead of currently the bridleway bordering Long Strops and the Millennium Field) and a further expanse of homes added due to the urban sprawl? See the map on our website for an outline of more land South of Kesgrave that is being pushed for development.

Show your concern about the proposals by registering with this site or liking us on Facebook so we can help keep you informed. Please let other residents in Kesgrave know about this website.

If you can help or wish to contact us for any other reason then use this address: