5.17.1 Troston village lies south of RAF Honington and includes some of the personnel accommodation which contribute to the relatively high population of the parish at 822 (2018 MYE). The village is approximately 11 kilometres from Bury St Edmunds and 15 kilometres from Thetford.

5.17.2 The village has a village hall and play area, and several listed buildings including the Grade I listed parish church which lies just outside the housing settlement boundary.

Constraints and opportunities

• Troston is within the Special Protection Area Recreational Pressure buffer
• There are six listed buildings within the settlement boundary and some close by including the Grade I Church of St Mary
• There are several individual, area and group Tree preservation Orders within, adjoining and close to the settlement boundary

Settlement status

5.17.3 Troston 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 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

5.17.4 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.

5.17.5 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 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.

5.17.6 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.

5.17.7 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.

5.17.8 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. 

Troston settlement constraints map

Troston settlement map showing SHELAA included sites

Troston – included SHELAA sites