East Bergholt Parish Council v Babergh District Council and others
Public Statement by the Chairman of the Parish Council
The Supreme Court has refused East Bergholt Parish Council’s request to appeal the Court of Appeal’s refusal of our Judicial Review into Babergh’s decision to approve the three planning applications at Moore’s Lane, Heath Road and Hadleigh Road. This means that there is no more action that we can take to challenge the permissions granted for 230 new houses in East Bergholt. We have exhausted all the legal routes open to us.
The Parish Council is extremely grateful to Rodney Moss and Valerie Ayton for the heavy work load they took on and the expertise they have applied over the past four years to prepare our case. We are also grateful to our legal team, David Bowman, our Solicitor and Sasha Blackmore and Hannah Gibbs, our Barristers, who have provided excellent and honest advice and advocacy over that period. Looking back, although of course we are disappointed in this conclusion, we can also recognise the benefits achieved by the hard work of these five key people. We should not forget that this team won the original JR and it took a change in planning law to overturn that decision.
We can also note that recent building activity in East Bergholt has been moderate, and more in keeping with local sustainable capacity by comparison to surrounding villages and future housing development, we hope, will remain moderate during the period of the next Babergh Mid Suffolk Joint Local Plan. Our JR cases have provided sufficient evidence to persuade the planners that we have reached capacity.
The next task for the Parish Council is to work to ensure that the benefits that the planning applications promised, such as lower cost affordable housing, employment units and sufficient screening, are fully achieved. You can be assured we will be focussed on that. We must also now work to ensure that the residents of any new houses that are built are integrated into the village community as quickly and effectively as possible.
Joan Miller
Chairman of East Bergholt Parish Council
13 July 2020
You can view the Supreme Court Order by clicking this link
Suffolk County Council Highways - Reporting Problems
Two Parish Councillors recently visited the local Suffolk County Council Highways Service Delivery Centre. The Highways Officers advised our Councillors that the most effective way of reporting any Highways issues is via the County Council's online reporting tool. Any problem will then be picked up and allocated a reference number. The issue will be looked at by an appropriate member of the Highways Team, prioritised, the area will be inspected if considered necessary, and a solution to any required work will be allocated, if considered appropriate.
https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/highway-maintenance/report-a-highways-issue/
Link to Parish Councillors Registers of Interests
The Parish Register of Interests demonstrating openness, fairness and transparency of the Parish Council can be found at the following link: Babergh Members Register of Interests Any queries please contact Babergh/Mid Suffolk District Council by telephoning 01473 296376