MAJOR plans to redevelop BT's Adastral Park have been revised in response to feedback from the public.

Simon Tomlinson

MAJOR plans to redevelop BT's Adastral Park have been revised in response to feedback from the public.

The telecoms giant has made a number of changes to a planning application submitted in September to expand the Martlesham Heath site.

The company is still pressing ahead with proposals to build 2,000 new homes, a primary school, an Innovation Park and an on-site energy centre along with many other facilities.

However, the new application, which has been submitted to Suffolk Coastal District Council, reduces the area that is proposed to be developed up until 2025.

There are also changes to the road access to the site, with a new link from Newbourne Road via the old Felixstowe Road.

The issue of secondary education provision is still being considered, but the application has been framed to accommodate a new school at Adastral Park should it be required.

Other amendments include:

Changes to the layout and phasing of the development, and the junction improvements to the A12.

Re-locating areas of green open space and playing fields to the eastern edge of the site closest to the village of Waldringfield.

Increasing the depth of perimeter planting and the number of 'green corridors' - areas of green areas running throughout the site.

Phil Dance, senior director at Adastral Park, said: “We welcome all of the feedback we have received and this revised application takes into account comments made by the council, local people and other stakeholders.

“We believe that the vision for Adastral Park will deliver great benefits for Suffolk, including new homes, jobs and vital new infrastructure.”

Suffolk Coastal will be holding a public exhibition at the end of this month to help people understand the changes and give further feedback.

Andy Smith, Suffolk Coastal's deputy leader and cabinet member for planning, said: “This is an extremely complex application which is of major importance to our district and I would urge people to see the outline plans and decide for themselves whether the changes are improvements on the original scheme or not.”

The public exhibition will be held at Martlesham Parish Room, Felixstowe Road, on Wednesday, April 29 from 10.30am to 9pm and on Thursday, April 30 from 9.30am to 1pm.

Details are expected to be made available on www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/yourdistrict/devcontrol/adastralpark from Wednesday, April 22.

The official consultation period runs until May 22, but the revised application is unlikely to be considered by the council until August or September.

For more information, visit www.adastralvision.com where the revised application is expected to be uploaded in due course.

simon.tomlinson@eadt.co.uk