St Edmundsbury Core Strategy (December 2010)

Policy CS1 - St Edmundsbury Spatial StrategyThe spatial strategy provides a framework for environmentallysustainable economic growth within the overall guidelines of the East ofEngland Plan and the context of the Western Suffolk SustainableCommunity Strategy. The Key Diagram illustrates the Council’s visionfor the management of growth in the borough for the period to 2031.The protection of the natural and historic environment, the distinctivecharacter of settlements and the ability to deliver infrastructure willtake priority when determining the location of future development.Opportunities to use previously developed land and buildings for newdevelopment will be maximised through a sequential approach to theidentification of development locations in settlements. Thedevelopment of previously developed sites will be balanced with theneed to release further greenfield land for development in the context ofthe delivery of the spatial targets. The towns of Bury St Edmunds andHaverhill will be the main focus for the location of new development,supported by appropriate levels of development in Key Service Centres,Local Service Centres and Infill Villages. In particular, longer termstrategic growth will be provided to the south-east and north-east ofBury St Edmunds and the north-west and north-east of Haverhill.Lesser, mixed use development will take place on the eastern, northwesternand western edges of Bury St Edmunds.All growth around Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill will protect theidentity of those villages that surround the towns and strategiclandscaped buffers will be identified and where necessary provided toensure that the settlements do not become part of the larger urbanarea. Precise boundaries to determine the extent of the built up area ofthe towns will be defined in preparing the Area Action Plans for Bury StEdmunds and Haverhill.Provision is made for a commensurate proportion of the 18,000 newjobs allocated in the East of England Plan for the rest of Suffolk and thesame Plan’s requirement for at least 15,400 new homes (net) between2001 and 2031.The table below sets out the components of the new housing provisionand its proposed distribution across the borough. All new allocationsare minimum numbers.30