Neighbourhood Plan Committee Report, December 2025
There have been no meetings of the Steering Group in the past 3 months, because
the Revised Plan has already been prepared in draft by our Planning Consultant,
Andrea Long. It is however awaiting two extra inputs before a final pre submission
Reg 14 draft is prepared in Spring/ Summer 2026. These inputs are a Conservation
Area Appraisal and a Housing Position Paper
The Conservation Area Appraisal document prepared by HCUK and approved in
draft by the Parish Council in October, is being discussed with Babergh District
Council. The timeline for review, consultation and adoption of a Conservation Area
Extension has yet to be agreed but the Parish Council have requested the process is
completed by Easter 2026. Meetings have been scheduled at two week intervals
between the parties involved through to the end of March 2026. The revised
Conservation Area will then be included in the pre submission Reg 14 draft.
The Housing Position Paper is being prepared by our Planning Consultant. It will
state the maximum number of additional houses that East Bergholt can be expected
to absorb in light of Babergh’s requirement to deliver 775dpa for each year of their
Plan. It will also fully explain the constraints which East Bergholt faces in delivering
more homes and it will make specific housing site allocations. Given the current
strategic policy vacuum in Babergh as a result of Part 2 of the JLP being abandoned,
the Position Paper will be submitted informally to Babergh early in 2026 for
discussion. If East Bergholt’s case (house numbers, sites and reasoning) is
considered to be robust by officers, it will be “dropped into” the pre submission Reg
14 draft in Spring 2026.
This pre submission draft is planned to go out to Consultation in Summer 2026, with
a revised version to be submitted in the Autumn and adopted in early 2027.
The Neighbourhood Plan Committee met in November 2025 to agree a budget of
£10k to cover al the stages for completing the Revised Plan in financial year
2026/27.

Report prepared by Cllr Roberts
Chairman of East Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan Committee.