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EAST BERGHOLT PARISH COUNCIL

PARISH INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PLAN 2026

CONTEXT
The Parish Infrastructure Investment Plan (PIIP) for East Bergholt sets out the
identified infrastructure priorities for the village and guides CIL investment decisions to
address shortfalls in infrastructure provision and future requirements. For the purposes
of the plan, infrastructure includes physical, social and green infrastructure.

The current PIIP was prepared in June 2022 and was revised in 2023 and 2024. This
document, PIIP 2026, supersedes the current PIIP. It can be read as a stand alone
document but also informs and should be read in conjunction with the Council’s latest
CIL Policy and Procedures which was approved in August 2025.

East Bergholt is a rapidly growing village with 242 new houses already approved. This
is likely to increase the village population by up to 21%. East Bergholt also serves a
wide catchment of hinterland villages and provides a range of services including
medical services, schools, retail and leisure activities. This catchment is also
experiencing rapid growth pressures. Future pressure on East Bergholt’s infrastructure
is therefore likely to be considerable.

Today, existing gaps and deficiencies also exist and require investment including
additional leisure, recreation and sports facilities/fields. There is insufficient dedicated
car parking available, footpaths are narrow, and in some cases non-existent and the
village road network is increasingly busy and traffic calming is required. The village has
some outmoded public buildings too that would provide enhanced social infrastructure
if refurbished.

An audit of existing infrastructure has been conducted (Appendix B) and community
feedback has been gathered to inform investment drawing on the evidence of need
gathered in the process of revising the Neighbourhood Plan.

INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS
Physical Infrastructure
– Road safety improvements on B1070, Hadleigh Road and introduction of a
20mph village zone
– Pavement and footpath upgrades plus public realm improvements
– Cycleway to Manningtree
– Additional Parking at playing field
– Water supply for the playing field

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Social Infrastructure
– Congregational Church refurbishment and maintenance for community hub and
heritage centre
– Extend playing fields
– Affordable Homes
– Village centre hub
– Land purchases

Green Infrastructure
– Public open space, amenity land and wild flower meadow provision

PROJECTED INCOME FROM CIL, GRANTS, S106 INCOME

October 2017 – February 2025
CIL income £781,872.53
of which grants awarded £ 81,768.23
Balance held £700,104.30

October 2025 – October 2035
Anticipated further growth of village
CIL income from growth c.£750,000

October 2035 onwards
No large scale growth currently anticipated
CIL income from small and piecemeal developments – c.£20,000 per annum.

PRIORITISED INVESTMENT PROJECTS 2025 -30

The PIIP 2026 identifies a range of infrastructure projects which were discussed and
evaluated at a Parish Council Workshop on 27 November 2025. These were ranked by
Parish Councillors using five criteria which are set out below.

Criteria for prioritisation

1.Contributes to Parish Council or East Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan objectives and
meets local need. (50% weighting)

2.How big the impact the project has, the benefit it will deliver. Can assess impact by
the number of people affected or other measure. Also, subjective measure e,g improve
equality, safety, recreational wellbeing. (20% weighting)

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3.Current projects upon which money spent. (10% weighting)

4.There is no other sufficient funding form available or provides critical seed-corn
funding to match other external funding (10% weighting)

5.Deliver within a finite timeframe. (10% weighting)

The combined ranking of all Councillors has been used to establish the Council’s
Overall Priorities and each project is set out in rank order below:

Council Priority Projects 2026/27

Project Cost

£k
Comment Babergh
CIL

£k
EBPC
CIL

£k
Other
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A: Phase 1
Congregational
Church
Community hub
170 The aim of this project is to
take over the charity managing
the Congregational church and
to create from the church a
community hub and Parish
Council centre.
This funding secures transfer,
structure and basic upgrade to
make building operational.
–
Not new
infrastruct
ure
doesn’t
meet
criteria
170 + cash
from
transfer
2 I: Phase 2
Congregational
church
community hub
development
300 Full refurbishment of church
building, new heating, floor,
cafe etc.

225 75
3 G: Playing Field
extension
230

Procurement of field, basic
new facilities + car park
extension (£30k)
Land
doesn’t
meet
criteria
230
4 C: Road Safety
– 20 mph zone
35 Design fees £0k, construction
costs £5k
35 SCC?
5 J: Phase 3
Congregational
church older
people’s
sheltered homes
500 Build 8 units of sheltered
accommodation in the gardens
of the church
375 125 ?
6 B: Road Safety
B1070
665 Speed measures along B1070
in village envelope
665 S106?
SCC?
7 M: Development
of football facility
on new field
500 All weather surface and other
facilities, £375k from FA
95 30 375

8 F: Flatford to
Manningtree
footpath/cycle
track
20 Topographical, hydrographic &
ecology survey
20 SCC?
9 E: Road Safety
_ Hadleigh
Road/The Street
210 Concept, design, construction 210 SCC?

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10 H: Affordable
Housing
350 EBCLT has asked the Parish
Council to consider support an
investment for affordable
houses in the village to be kept
in perpetuity for the benefit of
local people
CIL/
Housing
grants
Other
11 O: Constable
Hall

200 New roof, redo outside, solar
panels
150 50 Village
hall
funds?
12 R: Primary
School football

100 Astro all weather surface for
junior football
75 25 SCC
13 L Bore hole &
water supply to
Playing Field
20 Sinking borehole & installing
water supply
15 5 Or
precept
?
14 N: Paddle
Courts
160 2 courts added to Constable
Field
120 40
15 D: Road Safety
Village Centre
490 Concept, development,
construction
490 SCC?
16 Q: Nursery on
Hills site
? NO DETAILS
17 P: Swimming
pool

? NO DETAILS

The priority listing will be used by the Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee and the
Parish Council to guide decision making when allocating CIL funds and in evaluating
applications for CIL funding.

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APPENDIX A

COUNCIL PRIORITIES

Congregational Church Community hub
The aim of this project is to take over the charity managing the Congregational church and to create
from the church a community hub and Parish Council centre. At a later stage a project to create a set
of sheltered units for older people of the village will be considered.

Affordable Housing
EBCLT has asked the Parish Council to consider support and investment for affordable houses in the
village to be kept in perpetuity for the benefit of local people.

Road Safety
EBNP surveys have identified increased traffic, speeding and poor parking as a major village concern
and identified several projects to improve safety in the village. Village feedback identifies in the early
phasing 20 mph speed limits; improvements to B1070 particularly past the High School and footpaths
from B1070 to Foxhall Fields; improvements to Hadleigh Rd past the primary school; parking in the
village centre are priorities from all the proposals put forward.

Flatford to Manningtree footpath extension
A proposal has been identified to create a footpath and cycle route above the flood plain level across
from Flatford to Manningtree Station following the route of an old right of way which was deleted in
the late 1990s. This project, managed through the Roads, Footpaths and Flatford Committee, will
need to work with neighbouring parish councils and form a partnership with higher levels of local
government.

Playing field extension
The current playing field at Gandish Road was established in the early 1950s through compulsory
purchase of half the field and renting from Constable Hall the other half of the field. The playing fields
were planned to support the then village population. The village had an expansion of 400 new houses
in the 1960s and is about to receive another 240 houses in the near future. This will double the size of
the village of the 1950s. The playing field is already stretched to provide space for the clubs already
existing and as these expand their teams with the new population the current field will not be
sufficient.

Water Supply to Playing Field
A project to sink a borehole to facilitate a permanent water supply to water the playing field pitches.

Playing Field extension and car park
A project to provide additional parking at the playing field. Several options may be available from
which a specific project will emerge.

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APPENDIX B

Existing Infrastructure Audit – Services, Facilities and Capacities

Public Services & Facilities
East Bergholt High School
East Bergholt C of E Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Constable Country Medical Practice
Post Office
East Bergholt Parish Council
East Bergholt Cemetery and Burial Grounds
Bus Stops/ Shelters
Village car park
Roads, pavements, footpaths and public open space.

Pre School and Children’s Facilities
Lavender Hall Kindergarten
Young Explorers & Constable Country Childcare
St Mary’s Baby and Toddler Group
St James Place Pre School (planned)
Village Youth Club at Constable Hall

Venues for Hire
John Constable Memorial Hall and Benneworth Lounge
The Lambe School
The Congregational Church
St Mary’s Church

Medical Services
Constable Country Medical Practice GP Surgery
Day Lewis Pharmacy
Ipswich Foot Clinic – Constable Medical Practice
Cosmetic Medical Treatments – Constable Medical Practice
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine – Constable Medical Practice

Retail Outlets and Services
The new Co-op store
The former Co-op store
Potting Shed Bakery
The Refill Shed
Fields Kitchen and Farm Shop
Sarah Jane’s Boutique
The Larder (opening soon)
National Trust Shop
Barry’s Fish and Chips Van (weekly)
D Allen’s Fresh Fish Mobile Van (weekly)

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Services
KMC Garage
Bike Doctor
Armour Engineering
Grier and Son Estate Agents
Roger Balmer Architect
Gelz Hair Salon East End

Gattinetts Business Centre:
Voice Workshop
School House Workshop
Simon Burke Design
Edwards Design Group
William Holloway Associates
Dunwell Property Management
Home Financial Services
Pro- Duct Cleaning
Sussed Out Suspension
Club Creative
Cute Nails Club and Shannas Beauty
Muddy Pups Dog Grooming
Eastern Fostering Services
Lakeland Accountants
Chef Neil
Panache Icecream
J Quilts
Heycroft Care Ltd
Hartcopy Ltd
Burwood Banks

Wheelers Yard:
SBL Holdings
KW Engineering Services Ltd
Sapphire Builders
The Mills Professional Decorating

Hospitality (cafes, pubs and restaurants)
Hare & Hounds
Red Lion
Carriers Arms
Royal Oak “The Dickie”
Gaia
Oranges & Lemons
Fields Farm Cafe

Accomodation
Red Lion
Constable Holiday Cottages
Chestnut Cottage

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Sports and Recreation Facilities
Gandish Road/ Constable Fields Recreation Gound:
Sports Pavillion with changing rooms, and bar.
2 x football pitches
3 x tennis courts and club house/ changing rooms
Cricket square
Cricket Nets
Lawn Bowls green and club house/ changing rooms
Outdoor gym
Table tennis table
Children’s play ground

Flatford Road Junior Football pitch
Primary School Junior Football practice pitch
The High School fields and sports hall

East End:
Children’s play area
Boules
Table tennis table
Nature reserve and open green space

Constable Gardens Children’s Play Area

Social Club and Snooker Hall, White Horse Road
East Bergholt Sports Centre Gym, Abbercroft Leisure

Other Community Facilities and Organisations
Allotments at Chaplins Road and The Street
Alms Houses – 9 provided by United Charities.
Old Hall Community
The Grange Country Park and Static Caravan Park
Pop Up Hairdresser/ Barber – Lambe School
National Trust Shop, car park and visitor centre at Flatford
Flatford Field Centre
Flatford RSPB Garden
Ipswich Mobile Library
East Bergholt Cinema Constable Hall
East Bergholt Community Cafe Constable Hall
Bottle Bank at High School Heath Road.

East Bergholt Community Council
East Bergholt United Charities
East Bergholt Society.

Places of Worship
St Mary the Virgin
Congregational Church

Facilities and Services provided from outside of East Bergholt and used by residents.

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Hospitals (NHS and private) in Ipswich and Colchester
Care Homes in surrounding areas
Dental Practices in Dedham, Manningtree Colchester and Ipswich
Opticians in Manningtree Colchester and Ioswich
Specialist health services including physiotherapy, osteopathy
Suffolk and Essex Library services
Rail services from Manningtree
Taxi services from Manningtree
Recycling Centres at Lawford and Hadleigh
Policing and Parking Wardens from Suffolk
Bus Services linking surrounding towns and villages.
Full service suite from Babergh District and Suffolk County Council

Audit Results and Conclusions
The above services and facilities available to East Bergholt’s residents today was assessed against
current user numbers and requirements based on any actual and anecdotal evidence available. The
results were used to identify current capacity issues and obvious gaps in infrastructure provision. The
growth in the resident population of East Bergholt (because of new house construction and revised
governmental housing targets) is likely to add up to 21% more residents over the next 15 years
(2024-39) and so further exacerbate any gaps and shortfalls in infrastructure provision identified
today.
The Audit highlighted the following issues of concern;
-Insufficient number of village High School and Primary School places available for incoming
(new) East Bergholt residents.
-Considerable concerns regarding the condition of roads and pavements and excess vehicle
speeds, with a need for widespread road safety interventions and public realm improvements.
-Serious lack of public open space
-Shortage of off-road car parking available particularly at Constable Hall
-The Congregational Church is underused and has potential if refurbished to provide a
significantly enhanced community facility and hub
-Retail outlets in the village centre are subject to closure, but retail uses will remain critical to
the future vitality of the village heart and its role in the community.
-The amount and variety of accommodation in East Bergholt remains limited and could
constrain short stay tourism.
-The number of local businesses across the village continue to grow and business centres
have shown active take up.
-Hospitality businesses continue to reinvent themselves and seemingly prosper.
-There is already a serious shortage of outdoor playing field space in East Bergholt with the
sports teams growing significantly in numbers (and participants) and require new and extended
facilities. Existing facilities are now inadequate for the numbers involved in sport.
-Connectivity to the many services outside East Bergholt which residents rely on, is currently
car dependent. Hopper and Rural Bus services need improvement.
The above audit will inform the consideration of infrastructure priorities and CIL awards.