5.16.1 Stradishall is centrally located in the district, around 18 kilometres south-west of Bury St Edmunds and 13 kilometres north-east of Haverhill. The village is set within undulating ancient farmlands landscape, with an area of rolling valley farmlands to the north and east.

5.16.2 The village has very limited services and facilities within the settlement boundary but the A143 linking Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill runs north-east/south-west immediately north of the village and services located nearby along the A143 include:

• a pub
• a garage and petrol filling station
• a post office and convenience store
• a café and take-away
• A pre-school/nursery is located in the residential area east of HMP Highpoint which is approximately a mile from the village.

Constraints and opportunities

• There are no major environment or biodiversity designations.
• Anglian Water’s Water Recycling Centre is located north of the village and a buffer zone will limit proximity of development.
• The conservation area extends beyond the settlement boundary and should be considered when considering opportunities for new development in order to protect the setting of the village.
• Flood Zones 2 and 3 may limit development north of the village.
• Despite the A143 linking Stradishall to Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill the bus service is only fair and not at times that make bus travel an option for commuting.
• Proximity to Haverhill and to local businesses and employment opportunities together with a reasonable level of local services would support some growth.

Settlement status

5.16.3 Stradishall is designated as an infill village in the current local plan where normally only small-scale infill development of five homes would be allowed within the settlement boundary. The good range of local facilities are all sustainability indicators which warrants its categorisation as a Type A village in the new West Suffolk settlement hierarchy. This would mean that the opportunity for allocating small sites in or adjacent to the village could be explored through the preparation of the local plan.

Site options

5.16.4 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.

5.16.5 No sites in Stradishall have been submitted to the council through the Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) for potential inclusion in the local plan.

5.16.6 If you know of any sites that could be suitable for allocation please let us know by submitting the call for sites submission form.

5.16.7 Your comments 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. 

Stradishall settlement constraints map