Carter Jonas’ Planning and Development East team have secured planning permission for The West Suffolk Operational Hub, which brings together the waste collection, waste transfer, depot, fleet, landscapes and public recycling facilities for the Bury St Edmunds and Forest Heath areas. The team navigated the council through a complex and taxing planning process which was subjected to unparalleled public scrutiny. The scheme was resisted by local residents which made the case prepared by Carter Jonas all the more important. The strength of the case meant that the council was able to justify locating the site on land designated as countryside, on the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds.

It is testament to the open and consultative approach of the councils and the main contractor, Morgan Sindall, and indeed the extensive public engagement throughout the planning process, that activities on site are proceeding so smoothly and without disruption to the local community. The council and contractor continue to meet with the community on a regular basis through a commitment made during the planning phase of the project.

The project is expected to complete in under a years’ time, at which point it will deliver state of the art waste handling and operational facilities for the council. In addition to the operational efficiencies the scheme will deliver over time, the extensive and carefully designed landscape planting which forms part of the approved scheme will mature to create an attractive green edge to the development which will provide a net increase in biodiversity and a welcoming approach to the development for users and visitors from across West Suffolk.  

The substantial progress of the project, which only broke ground in May this year, can be seem from recent drone footage provided by the contractor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf-koYmgDDA&feature=youtu.be

Carter Jonas continues to advise the West Suffolk councils on the project as the implementation phase continues.

For further information, please contact a member of our team:

Richard Sykes Popham
Associate Partner, Planning & Development
01284 750884
Richard.sykes-popham@carterjonas.co.uk