Early plans for a long-awaited development on the outskirts of Sudbury which will include up to 1,250 new homes are to go on show at the end of the month.

The 270-acre Chilton Woods scheme, one of Suffolk’s key sites for delivering much-needed additional housing and employment over the next 20 years, has been in the pipeline for more than a decade.

But the plans have twice been put on hold when the landowner Suffolk County Council’s development partners pulled out of the project.

The authority is now investing £1.6million to get Chilton Woods back on track without a developer in place. Changes have been made to improve the viability of the scheme and local people are being urged to take part in a consultation on the revised proposals.

Starting with drop-in exhibitions at the Masonic Hall in North Street on January 30 from 2pm to 7.30pm and January 31 from 10am to 1pm, the consultation will detail proposals which recognise the site as an ideal location to meet local housing and employment needs and deliver wider benefits for the area. These include a new primary school, village hall, community woodland, a pub, shops, sports pitches, walking and cycling routes.

Jenny Antill, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for resource management, said: “The county council remains absolutely committed to seeing this development happen and there is much hard work taking place to ensure those living locally benefit from this development.

“I strongly encourage all those who have a connection with the area, however remote, to engage with us through the consultation exercise and drop-in exhibitions, enabling us to gather a well-informed view.”

From January 30 until February 16, plans and an online survey will be available on the county council’s website, at www.suffolk.gov.uk/chiltonwoods

Feedback will help to inform the council’s planning application, which is expected to be submitted in the spring.

Questions relating to consultation can be sent to chilton.woods@suffolk.gov.uk