Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils are preparing a new local plan that will help to shape the future of the districts. The Joint Local Plan will guide decisions on housing, jobs, infrastructure, town centres, the environment, transport and community facilities, helping to ensure that Babergh and Mid Suffolk remain attractive, sustainable and thriving places to live, work and visit.

Today we are beginning our scoping consultation which is an opportunity for us to gather views from residents, businesses, and other stakeholders on key challenges, opportunities and priorities for the future.

All feedback at this stage will be reviewed and used to inform later stages of plan preparation, including draft policies and public engagement.

The consultation survey is open from Friday 5 June 2026 and closes at 5pm Friday 31 July 2026.

The survey can be completed here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/scoping/

Further information including FAQs and supporting documents can be found on our websites at: www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/joint-local-plan-scoping-consultation and www.babergh.gov.uk/joint-local-plan-scoping-consultation

On the 3 June we published our notice to commence plan making and our local plan timetable which are available to view here: www.babergh.gov.uk/joint-local-plan and www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/joint-local-plan

We will be in touch within the next few weeks to organise further engagement with Town and Parish Councils as part of our scoping exercise.