Chilton Woods

The site is a fairly narrow 5.9 hectare parcel of land stretching from the proposed village centre to the east and existing retail and commercial sites to the west.

This phase will be a natural continuation of development from the second residential phase immediately to the south. There will be a mix of semi-detached, detached and terraced homes and apartment blocks.

Phase three is bordered by significant stretches of green space and play areas, including areas of community woodland.

A Design Code has been created for Chilton Woods, and analysis of the site’s context has been undertaken as part of this process, including the four parishes of Chilton, Sudbury, Acton and Long Melford.

There will be various housing typologies and sizes, across a variety of tenure types.

The proposed homes will range between two and two-and-a-half storeys across the majority of the site, in line with the 10.8m height threshold set by the Design Code. The apartment blocks are arranged over the ground floor and two upper storeys.

The average density across Phase 3 is 39.8 d/ha with higher density located along the spine road and looser densities along the more rural southern edge. This allows for larger plots, a more informal layout of homes and increased space for planting which helps both to soften the appearance of the homes and create variety across the phase.

Boundary treatments have been carefully chosen to provide security and privacy and clearly define the public and private realm. These will include brick walls and timber fencing, along with soft planting and railings.

Six character areas are defined within the Design Code for Chilton Woods, and this third phase includes two of these character areas: Residential Neighbourhoods, and Parkside and Linear Green Linkages. The above image shows a similar area on phase one.

Residential Neighbourhoods

This is the heart of the Chilton Woods scheme, with a range of densities and housing typologies. It is set around the main spine road and overlooking the green links, creating a network of active streets which link through to the village centre. 

Parkside and Linear Green Linkages

This area forms the interface between the residential parcels and the landscaped spaces. A range of house designs will have longer-range views towards green spaces.

The design of the homes will take clear character references from the architecture of the surrounding area, and the transition between the two character areas will feature subtle changes in building typology, materials and colours.

Our overall proposal includes 1,150 new homes, a quarter of which will be designated as ‘affordable’, as well as a range of community facilities including a village centre, community hall, sports pitches and large areas of green space, including community woodland. 

We will not be delivering the employment land to the west.

Road access to this phase will be via the development spine road, which runs through phases one and two. Vehicle and pedestrian routes along the main streets will be clearly defined, and pedestrians and vehicles will be segregated.

There will be some shared surface courtyards with pedestrian priority on the cul-de-sac streets and courtyards, where it is safe and appropriate.

This phase will link up with cycle routes on the first and second phases, as well as in Reynolds Way.

Phase three forms an important frontage onto some key strategic landscape areas of the site including the western greenway and community woodland. It is also an important arrival space when travelling on foot along the existing public right of way, which will be retained and enhanced with new planting.

All homes will include cycle parking, and visitor cycle storage will also be provided.

The SuDS strategy for phase three provides a further means of minimising the impact of the development on the surrounding environment.

The surface water management train will ensure benefits such as prevention of water pollution, reduced flow velocities, reduced risk of the occurrence of flooding, and enhanced amenity and biodiversity net gain.

Surface water flows will be conveyed through a variety of SuDS features including swales, low flow channels, and detention and attenuation basins which provide a means of intercepting, capturing, conveying and storing water volumes sustainably. This is demonstrated in the above image.

A comprehensive programme of ecological survey work identified a number of protected species, and our proposals include appropriate safeguards and mitigation measures as well as ecological enhancements.

Habitat creation is already underway within the wider site, with further landscaping to be undertaken which will deliver wider green infrastructure benefits including along green corridors running through the development.

The housing areas will feature measures such as bird and bat boxes, including swift ‘S-Boxes’, bee bricks and hedgehog highways.

Existing trees and hedgerows will be retained in order to preserve biodiversity, and the planting strategy will seek to use native, locally-grown species where possible.

By integrating green infrastructure - both new and existing - into our designs, the development will offer a wide range of passive and active recreation, alongside wildlife corridors and a range of habitats.

The overall landscape approach to phase three has been informed by the approved Design Code, and will focus on a number of key principles.

The design will have varying character throughout the phase, with areas of public open space that provide high quality amenity space. These spaces will provide a mosaic of habitats that will enhance biodiversity throughout the development.

Our proposals will maximise the opportunities for new tree and shrub planting within the housing areas, with the longevity of planting in mind.

The hard landscaping will be designed to reinforce the character of the phase as well as legibility through the development.

Finally, the overall design will provide recreational connections with the wider landscape.

Following consideration and detailed review of the feedback that we received, we hope to submit a reserved matters planning application to Babrgh District Council. At that time the council will write to neighbours again, giving details of the application and an opportunity for you to make any further comments.