More than 7,000 homes could be built across Suffolk on existing redundant sites, new data has revealed.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England has published its annual database of brownfield sites – those that have previously been used – as it aims to protect existing rural and undeveloped land (greenfield).
Suffolk data shows there are 134 brownfield sites as of December 2018 – the equivalent of 7,197 homes.
The list contains more than 3,200 homes across 60 sites in Ipswich alone, with a further 1,100 in West Suffolk, 2,579 in East Suffolk and 306 in Babergh and Mid Suffolk.
Fiona Cairns, director of Suffolk Preservation Society (SPS) said: “SPS welcomes the re-use of brownfield land as a way of safeguarding the countryside.
“Furthermore, brownfield land is invariably more sustainably located, which is borne out by the Suffolk Brownfield Land Register which shows that Ipswich and Lowestoft have, by far, the largest amounts of previously developed land.
“The national planning policy framework is very clear in its advice on strategic policy formulation, decision making around the identification of land for homes and delivery of homes that brownfield land must be given great weight in the decision making process.
“In general we would always urge councils to do more to bring forward brownfield sites, but frequently they are expensive to remediate and therefore harder to bring forward.
“The SPS is not in a position to promote such sites other than through responding to the public consultation exercise relating to emerging local plans and site allocations.”
Since the data has been published, some sites have progressed, such as the former Took’s Bakery site in Ipswich where groundwork is underway, and the two redundant council buildings in Hadleigh and Needham Market which have secured permission
Other high profile sites include the former Peter’s Ice Cream site in Grimwade Street, Ipswich, the empty County Primary School site in Saxmundham and the council offices land in Mildenhall.
Some of the biggest sites are Brooke Business Park in Lowestoft eyed for 850 homes and 540 homes in Helena Road, Ipswich.
Of the 134 sites, 15 have capacity for 100 homes or more, the data revealed.
The figures collated by CPRE have revealed the following:
Babergh and Mid Suffolk: 13 sites with the potential for 306 homes
East Suffolk: 41 sites with the potential for 2,579 homes
Ipswich: 60 sites with the potential for 3,204 homes
West Suffolk: 20 sites with the potential for 1,108 homes
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