ipswich.gov.uk

* IP132: Former St Peter's Warehouse site, 4 Bridge Street
We note this site had planning permission for a mixed use scheme which lapsed in April 2014. This permission included 48 dwellings, while the new allocation and proposed main modification seeks 73 dwellings to reflect the successful bid for the site. While we do not object to the principle of this site being developed, we have concerns with the lack of information provided on the site sheet that follows the main modifications table.

We have provided pre-application advice on this site in our letter dated 19 December 2014 as part of the recent acquisition. The site lies within the Central Conservation Area and adjoins the Wet Dock Conservation Areas, and includes 4 College Street, listed grade II. On the opposite side of the road are the Church of St. Peter, grade II* and Wolsey's Gate, a scheduled monument. The land on the opposite side of the roundabout is also scheduled.

Our advice acknowledged that the waterfront has seen considerable change over recent years with many sites being redeveloped to include a number of tall buildings while amongst these a number of smaller scale historic buildings survive. To the north there is an aspiration to improve the connections between the waterfront and the town centre and to try to mitigate the challenges presented by the roads here. There is also scope to enhance the setting of the two grade II* churches, St. Peter and St. Mary on the Quay.

Our advice stated that any future proposal for the redevelopment of the site should be informed by a thorough analysis of the surrounding townscape and historic environment and, in line with national planning policy, should aim to sustain and enhance the significance of the heritage assets here. We are supportive of the desire to strengthen connectivity between the waterfront and town centre.

While the site sheet for IP132 refers to the Central Conservation Area and the listed building at 4 College Street, it does not mention the Wet Dock Conservation Area, the listed church or the listed and scheduled Wolsey's Gate. There is also no recognition of non-designated buildings within the site that have heritage interest. Furthermore, there is no explanation of the implications for development in terms of these heritage assets.

As currently drafted, we consider the plan to be unsound in terms of its effectiveness and consistency with national policy. Paragraph 157 of the NPPF requires Local Plans to provide adequate detail with site allocations (fifth bullet), with the Planning Practice Guidance providing further emphasis (PPG Reference ID: 12-010-20140306 (last revised 06/03/2014). Conservation of the historic environment is a core planning principle (Paragraph 17) and Local Plans should set out a positive strategy in this respect (Paragraph 126).