Home   Bury St Edmunds   News   Article

Subscribe Now

Suffolk Bitesize: Your weekly council round-up




Here’s some of what your representatives across the county have been up to since Monday.

Suffolk has begun gearing up for the upcoming local elections.

On May 2, Suffolk residents will head to the polls to elect the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the next four years.

Suffolk residents will go to the polls to elect the new Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) on May 2. Picture: iStock
Suffolk residents will go to the polls to elect the new Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) on May 2. Picture: iStock

The role’s duty is to be the voice of residents and ensure the police force is not only effective and efficient, but also held to account.

The candidates are:

-Tim Passmore (Conservative Party) — who has been in the role since 2012.

- James Sandbach (Liberal Democrats).

- Rachel Smith-Lyte (Green Party).

- Robin Wales (Labour Party).

On the same day, Ipswich residents will also be tasked with electing 18 councillors, with four seats from cabinet members, including the leader and deputy leader, up for grabs.

An aerial image of the proposed Stanton Shepherds Grove development site, which would have included a Copart facility. Picture: Jaynic
An aerial image of the proposed Stanton Shepherds Grove development site, which would have included a Copart facility. Picture: Jaynic

Plans for a new vehicle recycling facility and relief road on land at Shepherds Grove, in Bury Road, Stanton, have been refused following over 100 objections.

The plans were submitted by Jaynic and also included a new roundabout on the A143, and the delivery of buildings for commercial and roadside uses on around 2.7ha of land.

The application was refused by the development control committee after a three-hour consideration with 10 votes for and three against due to concerns over traffix..

This was contrary to the officers and Stanton Parish Council’s recommendation, who supported the application.

Paul Sutton, Jaynic’s planning director, said further conditions had been agreed to address some of the concerns.

These included the creation of two-year a liaison group which would have acted as the first port of call to discuss and address ongoing concerns, as well as a requirement for vehicles owned by the company to avoid smaller routes.

But the committee heard from neighbouring parish councils and residents whose fears remained.

Jaynic has said it will appeal the decision.

The site from the B1078. Credit: Orbit Homes
The site from the B1078. Credit: Orbit Homes

Plans for 48 affordable homes on land east of Rotherham Road, in Bildeston, have been given a final green light.

Babergh’s planning committee considered the reserved matters application on Wednesday and approved it unanimously — this comes after outline planning permission was granted in 2017.

Rachel Morwood, the planning agent representing Orbit Homes, said the scheme would be essential for families in need.

She added: “[The scheme] relieves these families from the stress and uncertainty of the increasingly unaffordable rents in the private sector.”

The make-up of the homes will see mainly two and three-bed houses being built, 38 of which are set to be shared ownership and the remaining 13 designed for social rent.

Controversial changes to car parking charges in Sudbury, Hadleigh, and Lavenham could start as early as October if they are approved. Picture: Babergh District Council
Controversial changes to car parking charges in Sudbury, Hadleigh, and Lavenham could start as early as October if they are approved. Picture: Babergh District Council

Controversial changes to car parking charges in Sudbury, Hadleigh, and Lavenham. could start as early as October if they are approved.

The changes are being proposed by Babergh District Council to offset part of the £6.7m three-year predicted budget gap.

As it stands, when accounted for the small income it generates, the council picks up the £427,000 bill relating to all stays under three hours in council car parks in Sudbury, Hadleigh, and Lavenham.

Alongside other changes, the changes include the introduction of a £1 charge for one hour in short stay parking — now capped at four hours — and two hours for a long stay, increasing by 50p increments each additional hour.

Over the next three years, the council is expecting to make around £2.5m in income which should lead to the budget being better off by nearly £1.9m.

Silas and Daisy Rayner, owners, pictured with their children outside The Mayfair, in Broad Street, Bungay, near Beccles. Picture: Silas Rayner
Silas and Daisy Rayner, owners, pictured with their children outside The Mayfair, in Broad Street, Bungay, near Beccles. Picture: Silas Rayner

A new cafe and cocktail bar venue in Bungay has had its licence approved following an abrupt closure in December.

The Mayfair, in Broad Street, opened on a temporary licence on Friday, December 8 but was forced to close by East Suffolk Council on December 22 due to several noise complaints.

On Friday, the council’s licensing sub-committee decided to finally approve its licence subject to conditions around safety, noise, and working hours.

The application received 25 letters of support, with owner Silas Rayner saying it had been really successful while it opened.

He said: “There is a huge demand in Bungay for a beautiful and comfortable space for people to get together.

“Bungay is a very vibrant, wonderful town with a very unique selection of people in it, and The Mayfair is a venue that caters for those people.”