Elmswell Parish Council and Sarah Mansel voice concerns over Harthog Hutton’s 27-home Warren Lane project

A council and a councillor have voiced concerns over plans for 27 homes in a village on safety and access grounds.

SuffolkNews reported in March that Hartog Hutton Ltd had applied to Mid Suffolk District Council for a development on land off Warren Lane, in Elmswell, which several residents had voiced objections to.

Elmswell Parish Council has now lodged a formal objection to the proposals, which it said were ‘clearly in the wrong place’.

The development would include 18 open market homes made up of four three-bedroom bungalows, five three-bedroom houses and nine four-bedroom houses. The other nine properties would be affordable homes, including two one-bedroom apartments, five two-bedroom houses and two three-bedroom houses.

The council urged they be rejected as it said the suggested access road, Warren Lane, would become a safety hazard with increased usage.

It said at its northern end, from Church Road, the width of the highway is 4.3 metres, which means the pavement beside it is regularly mounted by opposing vehicles.

Unless widening and passing place works were to be agreed and in place before work on the proposed site began, the council said it could not safely proceed.

It also cited poor pedestrian access to the site and, with the number of walkers increasing continually with the commercial and retail sites on the old Bury Road, the council said the applicant’s suggestion journeys to these being by car would be against a widespread discouraging for such travel.

The village’s Mid Suffolk District Councillor, Sarah Mansel, said she could not support the plans.

She echoed the parish council’s sentiments on access and safety, describing it as unsuitable.

She said: “I do not like the layout of this development; this site is too constrained and although it is enclosed by housing on 3 sides, it is the access which is unsuitable. It should only be used for housing if access is secured via Cresmedow Way.

“This development would add more traffic to this country lane. The crossroads at Church Road, New Road, Wetherden Road is dangerous already. Visibility is poor and there is no provision for pedestrians to cross the road safely.”

Cllr Mansel highlighted, in previous applications for the site, there had been a promise of creating a pedestrian link around the woodland areas to the east of it and to connect with the public footpath network and open space at the back of the Crest Nicholson development.

She said there was no mention of this in these plans and could not see any pedestrian access to Cresmedow Way.

“I cannot offer any support to this proposal but may change my mind if there is more pedestrian and cycle connectivity,” she said.

The county council’s highways team had concerns with the access and passing points, and said if permission was granted it should include conditions on them.

It said no development should start until details of off-site highway improvements to the Warren Lane junction with Church Road/Cross Street have been submitted.

With regards to passing places, it said the points to the south of the site should be improved.

The access to Warren Lane would require improvements including the pedestrian footway being enhanced and dropped crossings to Warren Lane, the highways team said.