In the current Suffolk Coastal District Council Local Plan, the site is located within the town’s physical limits. In order to strike an appropriate balance between the need for some growth in the District and the need to conserve its environment, new built development (both employment and housing related) is generally to be concentrated on sites within the Physical Limits of towns. The whole site is therefore appropriate in planning policy terms for some form of built development.
The site is allocated as a General Employment Area in the Local Plan. Subject to providing satisfactory vehicular access (from Rendham Road) and landscaping to enhance the character of this important approach into Saxmundham, Council policies allow the site to be developed for various employment uses, including offices, industrial, warehousing and distribution. County and District Council policies also allow development of the site for other uses provided it can be demonstrated that:
- alternative development would not cause or accentuate a significant shortage of employment land, either now or in the foreseeable future,
- there would be a substantial planning benefit in alternative uses.
