4.6.1. Great Barton is located towards the north-east of the district. It is six kilometres north of Bury St Edmunds with most of the village lying immediately west of the A143, and a smaller residential area to the east. It has a population of approximately 2,313 (2019 mid-year estimate). The village has a range of facilities including food stores, primary and pre-school and sport and leisure facilities.

4.6.2. Great Barton neighbourhood development plan (GBNP) was ‘made’ (adopted) in June 2021 and is a statutory development plan document for West Suffolk Council. This means that the plan is a material consideration for planning application purposes.

Constraints and opportunities

• An air quality management area (AQMA) has been in place since April 2017 (and was previously in place between 2009 and 2012 when it was revoked on a technicality). Recorded levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution in 2016 were slightly below the annual mean objective but new, better positioned, monitoring commenced in January 2018.
• The area known as The Park has a special character that will require consideration when assessing sites for new development.
• The A143 creates a barrier between much of the settlement and many of the services and amenities, and may potentially constrain development due to safety issues.
• Proximity to Bury St Edmunds is both a constraint and opportunity – the character and identity of the village must be protected by avoiding development that could lead to coalescence of the village with the north-east of Bury St Edmunds, whilst proximity offers the opportunity, through development, for foot and cycle links and improved public transport connections to the town.
• Great Barton is well served by services and facilities in the village and provision of green open space, particularly to the north and south of the village, and recreational space to the rear of the village hall.
• There is at least an hourly bus service from 9am (at the latest) to 5pm (at the earliest).
• There is sufficient capacity at the waste water treatment works and within the foul sewerage network to cope with current levels of planned growth, however, capacity constraints have been identified within the surface water network. 

Preferred allocations

4.6.3. One site is proposed as a preferred site for residential development in Great Barton providing an indicative capacity of 150 dwellings. The preferred site is allocated in Great Barton’s neighbourhood development plan (GBNP) which was made in June 2021. The level of development proposed is the same as set out in the GBNP in Policy GB3 Land at School Road (The Triangle).

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

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

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

Great Barton settlement constraints map

Great Barton preferred allocation map