3.4.1 Kedington is a large village with a population of 2,037 (2018 mid-year estimate), located approximately five kilometres from Haverhill. It has a good range of services and facilities including:

• public house
• a post office
• library and community hall
• a primary school
• a shop
• a GP surgery
• play area and recreation ground

Constraints and opportunities

• Any large scale development has the potential to impact negatively on the character of the settlement. However, small scale peripheral extension may be possible.
• Development is further limited to the east through a rise in the land which would require impact avoidance and site specific mitigation.
• There are no nature or habitat designations in close proximity to the village.
• The scale of growth will be dependent on local environmental and infrastructure capacity and will need to respect the landscape setting and attractive character of Kedington.
• Additional growth should consolidate and enhance existing community services and facilities.
• Flood risk areas along the Stour river corridor and the attractive green in the centre of the village will influence the possible locations for growth.
• Direct access to the village is through the B1061, with Mill Road and Hundon Road traversing the village. These roads are narrow in places and junction improvements may be required depending on the level of development.
• Kedington lies within the rich archaeological landscape of the Stour Valley, as recorded in the county Historic Environment Record (HER). Prehistoric sites are recorded to the north around the medieval church and hall.

Settlement status

3.4.2  The village is designated as a key service centre in the current local plan in recognition of the important role it has to play in serving the residents of the village and those who live in the surrounding rural area. Kedington provides a number of key services and facilities that meet the villages own needs, and the needs of other nearby smaller settlements. It is proposed that the village maintains its status and is designated as a key service centre in the new West Suffolk settlement hierarchy.

3.4.3 The former St Edmundsbury area Rural Vision 2031 (2014) allocated two sites in the village for a total of 105 dwellings. The site at Stourmead for 65 dwellings has been completed and an application for 40 dwellings on the site at Limes Cottage was submitted in 2014 and is pending a decision.

Site options

3.4.4 The level of development will be influenced by the settlement strategy which will determine the distribution of development across the district as well as the existing environmental and physical constraints and the overall capacity for growth in the settlement.

3.4.5 A number of sites have been submitted to the council by landowners and developers for potential inclusion in the local plan. Included sites in the Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) that lie within or adjacent to the settlement boundary are shown on the map below, as these have passed the initial tests of being suitable, available and achievable, and so are more likely to be sites that could be suitable for allocation in the local plan.

3.4.6 It is important to note that at this stage these sites have not been selected as preferred sites for development, but we are seeking views on them to assist with the preparation of the next draft of the plan, where decisions will be made on which, if any, sites would be suitable for allocation.

3.4.7 The table below provides information on these sites, setting out information on the proposed use and planning status. Also below is a map of the main settlement constraints to assist you in making a response.

3.4.8 Your comments on these sites will help in drawing up the next draft of the West Suffolk Local Plan for consultation in 2021. This will set out the council’s preferred options for the distribution of housing and other land uses across the district. The council will also consult on the preferred sites across the district to achieve this distribution.

Kedington settlement constraints map

Kedington settlement map showing SHELAA included sites

Kedington - included SHELAA sites