3.2.1. Clare is a small market town with a population of 2,173 (2019 mid-year estimate), located approximately 11 kilometres from the centre of Haverhill. It is a historic Suffolk town with a wide range of local services and facilities including GP surgeries, a primary and community school and leisure facilities.

Constraints and opportunities

• Clare is a medieval settlement that lies within the rich archaeological landscape of the Stour Valley, as recorded in the county historic environment record. The prehistoric Clare Camp and medieval castle are scheduled ancient monuments.
• The historic settlement has a good range of independent shops, cafes and country park which is a draw for tourism.
• Any large-scale development has the potential to impact negatively on the character of the settlement. However, small-scale peripheral extensions may be possible.
• Bus services are less frequent than hourly or operate during limited times.
• Future development is further limited to the east through a rise in the land and to the west from the requirement to protect the character of the conservation area and historic landscape setting of the medieval settlement. There are also numerous listed buildings within the town’s settlement boundary.
• Additional growth should aim to consolidate and enhance existing community services and facilities.
• The scale of growth will need to respect the landscape setting and historic qualities of Clare.
• The linear pattern of development and flood risk areas along the two river corridors will influence the possible locations for growth.
• The alignment of the A1092 through the centre of the town can give rise to congestion.
• Preferred allocations

3.2.2. Two sites are proposed as preferred sites for residential development in Clare providing an indicative capacity of 98 dwellings. The level of development proposed is influenced by the overall housing requirement and the settlement strategy. This determines the distribution of development across the district as well as the existing environmental and physical constraints and the overall capacity for growth in the Further information on how housing numbers have been derived can be seen in part one of the local plan.

3.2.3. Further information on alternative site options considered but not taken forward can be seen in the table of omission sites in appendix B.

3.2.4. An existing established employment area has been identified for Clare. Further details can be seen in chapter 7 employment. The site is identified on the policies map.

3.2.5. Information on infrastructure can be seen in the draft infrastructure delivery plan (IDP) (2022) which sets out baseline data for each settlement. 

Clare settlement constraints map

Clare preferred allocations map