A VILLAGE will be able to honour their “founding father” by naming a street after him after a council U-turn.

Wetheringsett-cum-Brockford Parish Council campaigned to name a road – Hakluyt Close – after Richard Hakluyt a well-known scholar in the 16th and 17th centuries who was also the village rector.

Mid Suffolk District Council said the name – pronounced ‘Hack-loot’ – was too difficult to pronounce and would cause emergency services difficulties in finding the road in Wetheringsett, near Stowmarket.

But Mid Suffolk has now approved the name following a meeting on Tuesday where district councillors gave their backing to the parish council. Mid Suffolk had put forward Jubilee Lane as an alternative.

Martin Lawrence, chair of the parish council, said: “The parish council is very pleased with the result because we feel our own efforts to commemorate a particularly eminent scholar has borne fruit. He is worthy of recognition. We wanted to name the road after someone who had a strong association with the locality.

“Jubilee Lane is quite common, there was nothing wrong with it but there was an option to point out that Hakluyt is local and quite different. We are glad they accepted our view.”

Andrew Hunkin, Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Council’s corporate strategic director, made the decision yesterday to approve Hakluyt Close.