Chilton Woods Steering Group

The second meeting of the Chilton Woods Steering Group was held on Monday evening in Sudbury Town Hall.

The group is participating in a Babergh led 'place-shaping' exercise. The planning officers are seeking a steer about what the local community would like to see delivered in this development, which will have a major impact on Sudbury and the villages beyond.

Monday's event concentrated on the nature of the village hub; what shops would be appropriate?  what sort of public open space would be right for the centre of the development?  what about a community hall? a church? craft shops? flats for elderly people? a pub or restaurant?

There were many ideas forthcoming, not all entirely practical or sustainable, but mostly interesting.  I liked the idea of an open space that is configured such that it could become a small ampitheatre for plays, music, or other performances. There is nowhere in the Sudbury area at present where open air entertainment takes place (although I have often thought the the space in front of St Peter's could be adapted).

It is very important that Chilton Woods both complements and adds something a bit special to Sudbury.  The amount of open space that is envisaged should ensure that it is a good place to live and also to work, but it also needs to be well designed and a place that people want to visit and spend time in.

In recent months Babergh have been criticised in the press for not listening to communities when it comes to major developments in their areas.  Let's hope that this process, which is a first for the council, but which is very much seen as the way ahead, will be a success and become routine for such schemes in the future.

Next month's session will be about the green aspects of the development, including the community woodland, roads and cycle routes, access to open countryside, promotion of bio-diversity and other such issues.  If you have strong views about this aspect of the proposals, or indeed about anything else related to the plans, please let me know.