A further chapter in the Prolog Saga

Chilton Hall, a reprieve.

My opposition to the proposals by Sudbury company Prolog to build two giant warehouses within clear sight of  Grade 1 listed Chilton Church and close to the beautiful gardens of Chilton Hall are well known to all.  Background to the sorry saga can be read by clicking on the special tab above.

I am therefore pleased to report that yesterday the planning permission granted by Babergh for the development was quashed on Judicial Review at the High Court.

The legal niceties are technical, and I am uncertain what the judgement means. However,  it is clear that the developer and Babergh will have to look again at bringing forward the proposals, which in many respects are now rather out of date and at the very least will need to be refreshed.

The site, which is  adjacent to the new Health Centre in Church Field Road, should never have been allocated for industrial use in the first place.  Proximity to heritage assets should have ruled this out from the start.  However,  lower key commercial units, similar to those nearby, would be acceptable to most people.  They would also generate decent jobs for Sudbury.  Warehouses are not known for producing high grade job opportunties. They also generate a lot of lorry traffic.  It is to be hoped that the owner of the site will now decide to bring another, more appropriate, scheme forward, which would be acceptable to local residents.

Alternatively, given the proximity of the Health Centre, some form of  community use, such as a care home might be an option for part of the site.

For the second time that Prolog's plans have been halted due to the failure of Babergh planners to tick all the boxes.  This is rather frightening.  In this case a knowledgeable local resident was able to take action to get things put right.  I wonder how many other incorrectly handled applications go through unchallenged?