Babergh are under pressure to identify land for new housing. As a rural district with few major settlements, opportunities for development are difficult to identify. Located on land already identified, in part, as a major urban extension, the site is seen as one of few opportunities in the district that could accommodate new development in a sustainable way.

Part of the site is included in the existing Chilton Woods strategic allocation under Policy CS4 of the Babergh Core Strategy (2014). Outline planning permission for the wider allocation was granted in 2018, with neighbouring phases now under construction.

Approximately 24 hectares of the current proposals fall within the allocated area, with the remaining land forming an extension to the wider masterplan.

Yes. There is an ongoing need for new homes across Babergh District, including in Sudbury, to meet the needs of existing and future residents. Housing targets set by central government require Babergh to increase their annual supply of new housing through the Local Plan, including the immediate application of an increased 20% buffer from July 2026 under transitional arrangements.

Babergh District Council has recently confirmed that it cannot currently demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites, with its latest Five-Year Housing Land Supply Position Statement identifying a 4.68-year housing land supply. This means the Council is currently unable to demonstrate sufficient deliverable sites to meet its identified housing requirement over the next five years.

Sudbury has long been identified as one of the district’s most sustainable locations for growth. The Chilton Woods area has been planned for development for many years, reflecting its ability to accommodate new homes alongside supporting infrastructure, employment opportunities, schools, green spaces and community facilities.

The proposals for the Land West of Chilton Woods would contribute towards meeting Babergh’s identified housing needs by delivering a new mixed-use neighbourhood in a sustainable location, alongside the infrastructure and services needed to support both existing and future communities

As required by Babergh District Council and other statutory consultees (such as the NHS and Suffolk County Council Education) our proposals will be supported by any necessary planning obligations and contributions towards local infrastructure such as additional school places, local healthcare improvements and local transport improvements.

The need for such improvements will be confirmed as part of the planning process; however, Cilldara Group is seeking pre-application advice on these matters from the District Council and County Council.

This is usually undertaken through the statutory consultation process by the Council following the submission of the application. Local services such as Suffolk County Council Highways and Education departments, the flood authority and Natural England will be formally consulted in their role as statutory consultees and will be invited to submit a comment on the application.

The Government defines affordable housing as ‘social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market.’ This includes a variety of housing products including shared ownership, social rent, affordable rent, and discounted market rent.

No, a development of this scale would be delivered in phases over a number of years.

This allows supporting infrastructure, landscaping and community facilities to be delivered alongside new homes whilst minimising disruption during construction.

Protecting and enhancing biodiversity has been a key consideration throughout the design of the proposals.

The development will retain important ecological features where possible and create new habitats through landscaping, tree planting, species-rich grassland and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). The proposals will also be designed to deliver at least the mandatory 10% Biodiversity Net Gain, ensuring biodiversity is left in a measurably better state than before development.

The proposed public open spaces, landscaping and ecological areas will be subject to long-term management to ensure they continue to provide benefits for both people and wildlife.

The detailed management arrangements will be agreed through the planning process, helping to ensure that green spaces, planting and habitats are maintained to a high standard for future generations.

You can support this application in a number of ways. You can let us know you wish to support the proposals through indicating so on our feedback form either at the event or online. You can also write to your local ward councillors indicating your support for these proposals.

Further to this, you can indicate your support through the statutory consultation process via the planning portal once the application has been submitted.

If you would like to indicate your support this way, please leave your contact details with a member of the project team.