5.5.1 Fornham St Martin is a village with a population of 1,238 (2018 mid-year estimate). The village is located one kilometre north of Bury St Edmunds, 16 kilometres south-east of Mildenhall and 20 kilometres east of Newmarket. Fornham St Martin has some facilities including a public house and a playing field.

Constraints and opportunities

• There is good bus service from the village to Bury St Edmunds.
• The identity of Fornham St Martin must be protected and development that may result in the coalescence between the village and Bury St Edmunds should be avoided.
• The River Lark runs along the western side of the village, creating a natural boundary to development.
• Although Fornham St Martin does not contain a conservation area, there are a number of listed buildings primarily located in the south of the village.
• The western boundary of the village is covered by flood zone and would limit further development in that direction.
• The western edge of Fornham St Martin abuts two sites of nature conservation interest which would prevent development in that direction.

Settlement status

5.5.2 Fornham St Martin 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 public house, recreation area, commutable bus service and close proximity to Bury St Edmunds 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

5.5.3 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.

5.5.4 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 within or 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.

5.5.5 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.

5.5.6 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.

5.5.7 Your comments on these sites 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.

Fornham St Martin settlement constraints map

Fornham St Martin and Fornham St Genevieve settlement map showing SHELAA included sites

Fornham St Martin - included SHELAA sites