3.3.1. Ixworth is a large village with a population of approximately 2,256 (2019 mid-year estimate for Ixworth and Ixworth Thorpe) located to the north-east of the district, around 13 kilometres from Bury St Edmunds. The village has a good range of services and facilities including primary and free school, doctors’ surgery, leisure facilities and shops.

3.3.2. The parish council have embarked on the process of preparing a neighbourhood plan for Ixworth and Ixworth Thorpe. The neighbourhood plan area was designated by West Suffolk Council on 20 July 2017 and it is understood that the pre-submission draft plan is currently being prepared for the required six week consultation.

Constraints and opportunities

• Roads to the north (A1088) and the east (A143) of the village provide natural barriers to growth.
• There is at least an hourly bus service from 9am (at the latest) to 5pm (at the earliest).
• Bangrove Wood, to the north of Ixworth, is identified as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), a designation which limits development beyond the relief road.
• Flood risk areas along river corridors to the south and west will limit growth in these directions.
• The conservation area and listed buildings within the existing centre are a recognised constraint on developing to the south-west of the village protecting views into and from the conservation area to the countryside and protecting the setting of the village.
• The county historic environment record (HER) shows prehistoric, Roman and Anglo-Saxon sites within and around the medieval settlement of Ixworth and its priory.

Preferred allocations

3.3.3. Two new sites are proposed for growth in Ixworth. The first is a new site for mixed-use development for approximately 145 dwellings and employment (retail) and/or village hall uses. The second allocation is formed from the two sites allocated as RV12b and RV12c in the former St Edmundsbury Vision 2031 local plan combined into one comprehensive site for a reduced number of dwellings. This is in recognition of the challenges in developing the current allocations. Further information on the reasons for this are set out below.

3.3.4. 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 settlement. Further information on how housing numbers have been derived can be seen in part one of the local plan.

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

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

Ixworth settlement constraints map

Ixworth preferred allocations map