Forest City

At SPS, We recognise that there is increasing interest in building a new Forest City on the Cambridgeshire/Suffolk border. The need for affordable housing, good transport links and local infrastructure are points of concern for many people – and the proposals for a Forest City are intended to address many such issues.

However, large scale development also presents challenges, with potential for significant impact on rural communities, landscape, and local infrastructure, and particularly when there is limited meaningful consultation and a lack of considered and integrated planning.

At present, Forest City is a proposal only. No planning application has been submitted, although at the Suffolk Preservation Society we are watching with interest. As always, the devil is in the detail. We are not automatically opposed to development, but what we do want is development that is considered, consultative, proportionate, and carried out to the highest quality.

If you are already in contact with your MP to voice our concerns, that is certainly sensible. If you would like to know more about the plans for Forest City – or indeed to voice your support or reservations – both the cases for and against are presented in greater detail online, and you are also able to subscribe for regular updates through their e-newsletters.

As the Suffolk representative for CPRE, the Countryside Charity, we are in communication with our colleagues at CPRE Cambridgeshire and we have prepared a shared statement on our position, which can be accessed here.