Housing Density and Mix

3.25 The Suffolk Design Guide for Residential Areas has been jointly prepared by the Suffolk Planning Authorities. The Guide makes a positive contribution towards improving the environmental quality of new residential schemes in Suffolk and has been adopted as informal planning guidance by the Borough Council. The local planning authority will review the Suffolk Design Guide and a Supplementary Planning Document will be prepared to update the Guide and to tackle the issue of building quality houses at high densities.

3.26 The general principle to be followed is that all residential development proposals should be of a scale and form and at a density which is appropriate to the locality, within the context of national guidance and the Suffolk Design Guide. Higher densities will generally be most appropriate in the two towns, particularly in and around the town centres, and in locations with good access to public transport services. Higher density development is inextricably linked to design quality.

POLICY H4: HOUSING DENSITY

Proposals for residential development at a net density of less than 30 dwellings per hectare will not be permitted, unless the local planning authority is satisfied that there are constraints to development, or that development at that density would have an adverse impact on the character or appearance of the locality.

In locations with good public transport accessibility,including town centres, the local planning authority will encourage high density development, including the sub-division of existing properties.

Residential developments should have regard to the content of the Suffolk Design Guide and any subsequent replacement Supplementary Planning Document.

3.27 New residential development in St Edmundsbury must create mixed and inclusive communities, through a variety of house types and tenures. Analysis of planning permissions in the borough shows that many smaller schemes (those less than ten dwellings) often consist of just one or two house sizes or formats and often include only three or four bedroom properties, especially in smaller developments in the borough’s villages. This justifies a policy where all developments on a site of five dwellings or more must include an element of either one or two-bedroom homes for those households who are able to meet their needs in the market and would like to live in a new home.

POLICY H5: MIX OF HOUSING

All housing developments of 15 dwellings or 0.5 hectares or more in urban areas and five dwellings or 0.17 hectares or more in settlements with a population of 3,000 or less will be permitted only where:

a) They include a mix of house types and sizes, including smaller properties; and
b) They contribute towards a balanced community structure, including meeting the needs of specific groups such as the elderly, the disabled and young single people.