Melton Hill Development of 100 new homes

“Cheese Wedges, High Density blocks of Flats on the River Deben”

UPDATE 6th July 2019:

Irreplaceable heritage frontage to be Bulldozed

High Density blocks of Flats proposed for Suffolk’s historic riverside market town of Woodbridge

NEW Planning Application submitted 2nd July 2019

…American Equity ‘for profits’ firm now involved!

Back in April 2016 Suffolk Coastal SCDC Officers said Melton Hill development would be 69 Units, 1/3rd Social ‘Affordable Housing’. The buildings will replicate the scale of built form with Maltings Yard (As above image – adjacent development).

REALITY CHECK: July 2019 now 14 Blocks, 100 Units, over 80% High Density Flats!

Melton Hill Development Woodbridge: Suffolk Coastal District Council is to move from its existing offices on Melton Hill in early part of 2017 to modern premises near Melton Station; SCDC are in the process of selling their existing 3.23 acre site – to be developed into a mixed housing/Flats. The Developer is ‘Active Urban Property Group’, the ‘Community Planning Agency’ is JTP who are appointed and paid by the developer (The developers architects are Hoopers).

Previously Suffolk Coastal District Council have told the public and local community the development will number 70 new ‘Units’ – now 100 units.

Geoff Holdcroft, deputy leader of the council, cabinet member for resources and chairman of the Accommodation Programme Board, said: “We have made very positive progress on the sale of our existing headquarters and are now in a position to announce that we have a preferred bidder for the site… Active Urban”

The site is a ‘stone’s throw’ away from the Woodbridge town centre, opposite an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and flanked to the west by a ‘Conservation Area’. To the East are views across the River Deben to Sutton Hoo.

As of yet there are no detailed plans to be seen and no detail planning applied for the new homes at Melton Hill Woodbridge…

…however there is a ‘Vision’ of how the developers would like this to proceed; this has been created by JTP:

JTP are appointed & paid by the developer under the banner ‘Community Planners’ for the Melton Hill Woodbridge Development… JTP  place much emphasis in their Press Releases & Marketing… that the ‘community’ helped shape the plans – make your own mind up – the reality: …thus far there have been only 2-days of ‘workshops’ offered to discuss this development; Friday 16th & Saturday 17th April 2016. Since April there has been no further information… none available from Suffolk Coastal, although JTP also claim the local community had (or has?) an 8 week consultation period to discuss and shape these plans… various ‘rumours’ continue to fly around (Its now 16-weeks later and still no news, for sure there will be a blaze of PR and a grand ‘detailed planning presentation’ in the pipeline with much photographing of local residents to send to the press, whether or not the local community and the residents on the border of this proposed new home development get their chance to ‘help shape’ this remains to be seen; there is always the 21-days window to object once detailed planning has been applied for). 3 years on and the missleading information given to local Woodbridge residents contiunues.