PLANS for 200 new homes and a large employment area have been put forward for a Suffolk town.

The proposals, for the edge of Stowmarket, are part of a much larger scheme that will include a total of 1,000 homes and a primary school.

Developer Taylor Wimpey wants to build 200 homes and a 6km-square employment area near Chilton Way, to the north-west of Stowmarket.

The site, which is currently arable, would cover 55 hectares and would be called Chilton Leys.

The 200 new homes - out of a planned total of a 1,000 dwellings and a new primary school - have been put forward as part of a scoping report.

The development will include play areas and there are plans to build new roads as part of the site’s infrastructure.

Concerns have been raised by Onehouse Parish Council about the scheme.

They say the plans would extend past Stowmarket’s existing settlement boundary and that would impact on the identity of the village.

But Taylor Wimpey has said that although the site lies just beyond the existing settlement boundary, the area has been allocated for development through the Stowmarket Area Action Plan (SAAP).

Progress on Mid Suffolk District Council’s SAAP – a document which outlines the future developments of the town – was suspended last September to allow amendments to be made to the core strategy. The strategy is a wider document that outlines plans for the district as a whole.

Both of the documents have now been submitted to the planning inspectorate for approval.

A hearing into the core strategy was held at the end of last month.

Mid Suffolk wants to move forward the current September date for the SAAP hearing to avoid any further loss of momentum.

The SAAP document outlines plans for a total of 2,000 new homes for the town.

The Chilton Leys site would border Shepherds Lane in the north and the A14 to the east. Meanwhile the rear of the properties would be close to the existing Chilton Way estate.