Residents of Shepherds Grove Park, in Grove Lane, Stanton, worried over plans for seven self-build homes

Nearly 130 residents of a village retirement park have signed a petition against plans for seven self-build homes next to their complex.

S Barham, Josephine and Jamie Smith applied to West Suffolk Council in April to use a 0.49 hectare plot off Grove Lane, in Stanton, for the seven properties of various sizes.

The proposals have left residents of the neighbouring Shepherds Grove Park extremely worried the new houses could both disturb their lives and devalue their properties.

The seven properties have been assigned different plot spaces but, as they would be self-build, their proposed make-up is not known.

Sandra Perrin, 80, has lived at Shepherds Grove for 23 years and organised the petition, and lives on the side of the park next to the proposed homes.

She said: “It’s just extremely worrying. The houses could come six feet away and tower over us; they’d be able to look into our back gardens.

“We’re a retirement park, we’re worried about the potential noise from children or parties, that sort of thing.

“We’re also worried as to whether we’ll be able to sell our houses as retirement homes when there are other houses that close.”

Sandra also expressed concerns about the road leading onto both the park and the proposed site for the homes, which is a 60mph speed limit.

The park and its residents have been trying for years to get it reduced to 30mph as they have to cross it to get to their bus stop and it has no pavements.

She said, if children lived at the new homes, this would be a huge risk.

Sandra acknowledged Shepherds Grove is near an industrial estate, but said residents are rarely disturbed by it and the only noise they do notice is from traffic.

“Yes there’s the industrial estate, but we don’t hear it. The scrapheap is busy but we take no notice of it, it’s been there for years. It’s very rare we hear anything from there.”

A decision on the homes is due by June 26.

The seven homes would each have two parking spaces and have allocated spaces of varying sizes for front gardens.

Jason Parker, director of Meadows, agents for the applicants, said: “We cannot see how a proposal for a minor application for self-build homes can have any significant impacts, particularly given the historical and lawful use of the land, which at any time could be used for agricultural uses without planning permission required.

“We believe that this is a suitable proposal brought forward at a time when there is a national shortage of housing and an identified need for self-build.

“We also understand that the surrounding developments, such as the mobile home site has the same accessibility as the application site.

“This is a much needed proposal on a site which is in a non-isolated location and therefore supported by the National Planning Policy Framework.”