A MAYOR has welcomed plans to build more than 1,400 new homes in and around a market town – but warned vital services, including a £30million bypass, must be put in place at the same time.

A MAYOR has welcomed plans to build more than 1,400 new homes in and around a market town – but warned vital services, including a £30million bypass, must be put in place at the same time.

A Local Plan task group – drawing up a 10-year planning blueprint for the area – has recommended an extra 1,417 new homes are built around Sudbury and Great Cornard within the next decade.

The plans – including 700 new homes to the north of Sudbury, another 100 on two factory sites, 100 on one of the town's most popular open spaces, and 270 homes on a rugby club site – are expected to be approved by Babergh District Council's strategy committee tomorrow .

If approved, the largest development will see 700 new homes, new business units and possibly a new primary school in the Chilton area of Sudbury.

More than 100 people have objected to the Chilton plans saying the development should not take place until the town's long-campaigned for Western Bypass is built.

This is a view shared by Sudbury Mayor Nigel Bennett, who said: "Nobody in Sudbury is against expansion, but the developments have to be sensitive to an historic market town and suitable infrastructure must be put in place at the same time. We don't want the homes built and then still be waiting for years for adequate services."

The task group also suggests building 100 new homes on Sudbury's People's Park, the original favoured site for the new Sudbury hospital, which is now likely to be built in the Chilton area.

If the new hospital finally gets the go ahead, the ageing Walnuttree Hospital will be surplus to requirements and the group proposes the old buildings be converted into 50 new homes.

Another 80 homes could also be built at former William Armes factory site on Cornard Road.

In Great Cornard it is planned to build 50 new homes on surplus land around the Guilford Europe factory, with another 80 homes being built in the Shawlands Avenue area.

The biggest plan within Great Cornard is to build 270 homes on land along Bures Road, adjacent to the Sudbury Rugby Club. The move would see the club selling the ground and relocating to make way for the housing complex.

Other plans include smaller housing developments at Sudbury's High Bank and New Queens Street and at Folly Road, Great Waldingfield and Station Road, Long Melford.

The task group also recommends 40 homes should be built at Friends Field in Bures and space at Goodland Farm in Boxford could be made available for another 20 houses.

Babergh's head of planning policy Neil Greig said: "At this stage nothing is cast in stone. We are working in partnership with the county council on a local transport action plan and the two do need to be seen together. What people must realise is these developments are not going to happen tomorrow and I am optimistic that the appropriate traffic measures will be put in place before the expansions take place. It is up to members of the strategy committee to make final recommendations to the full council."

If approved by the strategy committee the plans will be then considered by the full council for adoption into latest draft of Babergh's Local Plan.

This will be followed by a public consultation period before the final plan is drawn up in 2005.