PARISH COUNCIL DISTRICT COUNCILLOR’S REPORT JUNE 2024
Much council business, especially the business conducted in public such as cabinet
and full council meetings, has been put on hold during the election. This includes
the decision on introducing car park charges in Hadleigh, Sudbury and Lavenham.
Babergh District Council is now led by Deborah Saw, my Green Party colleague. As
a coalition we are operating a rotating leadership system and she will be leader for
the second year of this administration.
Recycling:
The Government is introducing “Simpler Recycling” which will include a food waste
collection from April 2026. The first stages in this project are being discussed
at Babergh District Council in conjunction with Councils across Suffolk as plans are
put in place to ensure we have the resources and facilities to meet this timetable. We
will need special lorries and the means to process the food waste.
In Suffolk over 50% of waste thrown into the black bin is recyclable.
Planning
Three Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) which will support the Joint Local
Plan are out for consultation until 19 June. Although these are not planning policies
they provide detailed guidance for applicants. They are:
Housing (including open market mix, community-led housing, affordable housing and
self-build).
Biodiversity and Trees (including permitted development, biodiversity net gain, veteran
trees and expectations of developers). When a developer builds, the new Local Plan
requires it to restore the biodiversity it takes away and add 10% biodiversity on top of
that – a 10% net gain. The SPD encourages developers to go further and provide 20%
biodiversity net gain. Suffolk Wildlife Trust is clear that we need 20% net gain to
enable nature to truly recover in our county where we have seen a substantial loss of
biodiversity. Legally the council cannot impose a 20% net gain but I am committed to
make the 20% a policy aim.
Intensive Livestock and Poultry (especially the impact on habitats and the local
population)
Renewable Energy
I was recently the guest of Scottish Power at their Bramford site. It was astonishing
to see the investment and clever engineering in place to bring in renewable energy
from the North Sea and send it out into the national grid. The whole site is also
bursting with nature as they have planted hundreds of trees and hedges in addition to
wildflower meadows. The company is currently constructing a second windfarm off
the Suffolk Coast which will be the second largest in the world. This will create over
£2,300 jobs during its construction and more than 100 long-term skilled jobs when in
operation.