Ferguson Way, Kesgrave, IP5 2FZ | 01473 625 179
Ferguson Way, Kesgrave, IP5 2FZ | 01473 625 179 | Planning & Development21 September 20266.15pm |
KESGRAVE TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT MEETING HELD ON MONDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2026 AT THE TOWN COUNCIL OFFICE, FERGUSON WAY, KESGRAVE.
Present:
In attendance:
Apologies: Councillor Alastair Cook
The meeting commenced at 6.15pm. The Chair took the emergency evacuation procedure statement as read as no members of the public were present.
The Chair welcomed all attendees. Apologies for absence from Councillor Alastair Cook for personal reasons were received and accepted.
The Chair thanked Councillor Beecroft-Smith for chairing the previous meeting.
Councillors Gibson, Beecroft-Smith, Ogden, Athwall and Dr Ling all declared that they had no interests.
Resolved: It was unanimously agreed to accept the minutes of the meeting held on 7 September 2026 as a true and accurate record. The Chair duly signed the minutes.
The Town Clerk provided the following updates:
a. Woodbridge Road Cycling Improvements: The Committee's comments were forwarded to County Councillor Alistair Jeffreys, who confirmed they had been passed on to the relevant planner at Suffolk County Council.
b. Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Points: The Clerk reported on the recent installation of EV charging points on Century Drive. Following a resident complaint regarding the lack of consultation, the Clerk confirmed that the Town Council was not the installing authority and had not been consulted, as the work fell under permitted development. The Clerk had contacted the ‘Plug In Suffolk’ initiative, who provided a detailed response which was forwarded to the resident. The Clerk has requested further information on any other planned installations in Kesgrave to improve communication with residents. A discussion followed regarding the rationale for the location and the current non-enforceable nature of the parking bays.
c. Town and Parish Forum Update: The Clerk summarised key points from the recent East Suffolk Council (ESC) planning forum. This included central government-led changes to the planning system, the move to a single planning committee for ESC, and the continued importance of local knowledge from Town and Parish Councils. ESC is undertaking a second ‘call for sites’ for the new Local Plan. The Chair noted that he had raised an inquiry with the Suffolk Association of Local Councils (SALC) regarding the provision of housing needs data from ESC.
There were no members of the public present.
None had been received by the Town Clerk.
a. DC/26/2051/FUL, Foxhall Stadium Foxhall Road - Construction of a new access to provide an additional means of entrance to and egress from Bell Lane to the Ipswich Speedway (part retrospective).
Resolved: Following discussion of the additional information submitted by the agent in response to highways matters, the committee agreed to maintain its previous position of support. This is subject to compliance with the requirements of the relevant statutory authorities, and noting the agent’s statement that there is no intention to change the existing percentage of traffic flow using the Bell Lane access.
Councillor Lynch joined the meeting at 6.44pm.
b. DC/26/2860/FUL, Site Of Former 66 Bell Lane - Construction of a phased development comprising two self-build dwellings with shared access and associated works.
Resolved: The committee agreed to recommend ‘no objection’.
c. DC/26/3027/VOC, 29 Bracken Avenue - Variation of Condition No. 2 of DC/26/0983/FUL - Construction of single storey rear extension and outbuilding - Reduce the scale of outbuilding.
Resolved: The committee agreed to recommend ‘no objection’.
d. DC/26/2987/FUL, 239 Main Road - Rear extension at ground and first floor levels and associated elevational alterations.
Resolved: The committee agreed to recommend ‘no objection’.
The schedule of recent planning decisions made by East Suffolk Council was received and noted. Particular note was made of application DC/26/1845/FUL at 70 Bell Lane, where the proposal was permitted contrary to the Town Council's objection regarding the height of the boundary wall.
Resolved: Following consideration of the paper, it was agreed to recommend to Full Council that this is not a priority for the Town Council at present, but that reserves be earmarked in the 2027/28 action plan for a potential external expert survey should it be required in the future.
The Clerk advised that the East Suffolk Council North and South planning committees will merge into a single committee, which will alternate its meeting locations between the north and south of the district. This was noted.
None were raised.
It was agreed that the Town Clerk would prepare a communication for the website and social media regarding the new EV charging points on Century Drive. This would be released after receiving further clarification from Suffolk County Council to ensure consistent information.
The next meeting was noted as Monday 5 October 2026 at 6.15pm. The Chair gave his apologies for this meeting.
Members were reminded to submit any items for the next agenda to the Town Clerk.
The meeting closed at 6.56pm.
Please note that the Council uses AI to transcribe audio recordings of our meetings to assist in generating minutes. These drafts undergo a thorough human review and correction process by Council staff to ensure the accuracy of the final record.