London Road Planning Application DC/23/4255/FUL - What happens next.

As most of Kessingland is aware an application has been submitted for the phased development of 142 new homes on land east of London Road.   The council have recognised that many people wanted to make comment on the application and held a meeting on the 13th December 2023 which listened to residents concerns and then considered the council's response.  The meeting was well attended and, after hearing the sentiments of the community and considering the current planning policies at national, local and neighbourhood levels, the council voted unanimously to recommend refusal of the application. 

 

The parish council have submitted an initial response but also requested and were granted an extension to the deadline for submission of responses.  This was because formal submissions had been made to other bodies for information which the council feels is relevant to this application and need to be considered.  These requests are for information which has to be provided within a specific time period.  The new deadline is the 25th January 2024. 

​

The Parish Council has remained almost silent on this application up until the meeting when the application was considered.  This was neccessary as, for a councillor to be part of the consideration, they could not already have a pre-determined view.  They have to remain open-minded and ready to listen to alternative points of view on the application up until the vote is taken.  

​

An initial response has been submitted to East Suffolk Council who are the planning authority who will consider the application.  A date has not yet been set for this (however due to the extension it is unlikely to be held this month) and details of the meeting this will be publicised.  There is limited ability to speak at a planning meeting and requests to speak have to be submitted in advance.  Each statutory consultee will have an opportunity to present to the committee as will Cllr Green as the district councillor for Kessingland.  Affected residents can also request to speak.  If you do wish to make a contribution at the meeting please follow this link: Speaking at Planning Meetings

​

There have been a lot of residents who have commented to East Suffolk Council regarding the planning application and it is not to late to do so if you still wish to do so.  If you follow the link below to the application, you can make a comment.

​

The planning application can be viewed on the East Suffolk Website in the Planning section by clicking here.   A display of the planning documents is still set up at our offices on the first floor at Marram Green. 

​

So what are the next steps?  Kessingland Parish Council are currently compiling their full response to the application following the initial response.  Because of the size of the development it will be considered by the East Suffolk North Planning Committee.  At present there is not a date or a location for this meeting.  The parish council and invited the district council to hold the meeting within the village in order that residents have an opportunity to be present.  The parish council has no control over the next stage of the planning process but have committed to backing the Neighbourhood Plan, which was voted upon by Kessingland residents and is a key local planning document, as well as the planning policies which East Suffolk has adopted via the Local Plan and supplementary planning documents along with the National Planning Framework.  The council has also requested information from bodies which are referenced in the application to provide as evidence to support the submission that the parish council are preparing.  The initial response can be found by following this link.    This will take you to all of the responses to the application.  

​

The parish council recognises the strength of feeling in the village with regard to this development and how it ignores the wishes of the village as determined by the Neighbourhood Plan and supported by the Waveney Local Plan.  It can be seen from the number of people who attended the public meeting, have signed the petition, made public comments to the planning authority and contacted the local media over their coverage of the application.  

​

Thank you.

​

​

Kessingland is awarded Joint Best Large Village in Suffolk.

At the recent Suffolk awards Kessingland hit the double when we were awarded joint Best Large Village of the year at the 2023 Suffolk Awards.  This follows on from the village being awarded as Best East Suffolk Community earlier in the year.  Cllr Ian Graham, Chair of the parish council noted that "This award is for the whole community not just the parish council. The award recognises how the village comes together, works together and supports each other through groups such as the Kessingland Events Group and the Hidden Needs Forum as well as all the community groups within the village.  The parish council believes in working with the community which is why we hope that people will take the time to complete the village survey as we'd really like to hear peoples views and work together to make Kessingland even more a great place to live."