Residents object to Ceres Property plans for 165-home and 80-bed care home on Barrow Hill, near Bury St Edmunds

Residents have raised road safety, sustainability and village infrastructure concerns over a 165-home development.

SuffolkNews reported at the end of April that Ceres Property had applied to West Suffolk Council for the project on land either side of Barrow Hill, in Barrow, near Bury St Edmunds, which included the homes as well as an 80-bed care home and four offices.

Now, villagers living either side of Barrow Hill have responded to the application with their objections.

A Beale Road resident said the development’s location would cause a significant increase in traffic travelling through the village.

“The Barrow ducks will have no chance,” they said. “The layout will increase the road traffic further as this will create a loop where traffic has to travel out of the village to the south then around existing housing and drive back northward to get to housing at the ends of the sites, past the so-called public green areas and orchard.”

The resident also expressed frustration that there was no clear indication of what could be built on the open plots of land or what restrictions might be in place.

They said the play areas were located on the opposite side of the main road to most of the housing, which could cause traffic risks, and argued there were ‘other more suitable sites’ for development identified elsewhere in the village by West Suffolk Council.

A Simpson Way resident said the plans did not meet the specifications for sustainable development, address highway safety issues or contain any improvements to village infrastructure, while the proposed care home had no support from any developer and had not been requested by villagers.

They highlighted the lack of safe walking of cycle routes from Barrow Hill to village facilities and raised the issue of infrequent public transport serving the village.

The proposed 165-home development would be 30 per cent affordable homes, comprising eight one-bedroom apartments, five two-bedroom bungalows, 12 two-bedroom homes, 21 three-bedroom homes and four four-bedroom homes.

Of the market properties, there would be three two-bedroom bungalows, 53 three-bedroom homes, 40 four-bedroom homes and two five-bedroom homes.