‘We don’t want a repeat of the mistakes of the 1960s’ said Newmarket councillor Kevin Yarrow

A councillor has urged residents to get involved in the consultations over plans to redevelop Newmarket’s Icewell Hill, Churchill Court and Regents Court flats to stop what he called the mistakes of the 1960s being repeated.

The complexes in the centre of Newmarket, which currently house more than 260 residents, are at the heart of housing association Flagship’s Rowley Drive masterplan, which outlines the potential for improvements to the area, including the possible redevelopment of the existing apartment blocks, to provide up to 400 new homes.

At a meeting of Newmarket Town Council on Monday Cllr Kevin Yarrow, who is also a Newmarket district councillor, said: “This is a massive area right in the heart of the town. Currently there are 263 units and they are suggesting 400 units. We are looking at the rebuilding of the flats and repeating the mistakes of the past does not build communities.

“There is room here to create a real community space and we don’t need to turn the clock back to the 1960’s model of Icewell Hill flats. We should be looking at building homes with gardens.

“We as a council need to make a statement and I have asked West Suffolk Council to make sure we (the town council) are kept informed at every single step of the proposal.”

Cllr Rachel Hood agreed and councillors decided to set up a working group to look at the project in depth.

Last week, West Suffolk Council agreed to allow Flagship Housing to consult with the community on its vision for the Rowley Drive area of the town.

It now plans to host three sessions for residents of the areas around Rowley Drive and three further sessions, including one online, for the wider public.

According to Flagship, an outline planning application would be submitted at the earliest next year, and only with community support.

“This remains a flexible framework rather than a definitive proposal, and any further development will be shaped by what the community wants,” said a spokesman for Flagship.

“This will be done on a phase-by-phase basis with reserved matters planning applications shaping the detail.”

Dave Armstrong, chief operating officer at Bromford Flagship, said: “We are pleased to have been granted permission to consult with the public on the Rowley Drive Masterplan.

“We now look forward to talking to residents and the wider public about these exciting possibilities, listening to their views and working together to shape what comes next.”

According to the masterplan, the older blocks of flats would be replaced with energy-efficient homes which it said would complement Newmarket's character.

And there was a suggestion that the steep Icewell Hill site could enable underground parking to create a greener, less car-dominated environment.

There were also suggestions for enhanced play areas, a community hub and potential improvements to the Rowley Drive horsewalk.

The public consultation runs until to November 3, and there will special sessions for residents of the Rowley Drive area from October 7 to October 9.

An online session will be held on Tuesday, October 14, from 11am until noon, and those interested should email shapingplaces@flagship-housing.co.uk to register.

This will be followed by two public exhibitions at Newmarket’s memorial hall on Tuesday October 21 from 5pm-7pm and on Saturday October 25 from 10am-noon.