West Suffolk Local Plan Call for Sites Update
West Suffolk Council have provided an update on its call for sites which was carried out earlier this year as part of the local plan process...
Published: 3 November 2026
Image gallery
Sites submitted to West Suffolk during Call for Sites - extract of Map
Extract of Summary of Sites Submitted
328 sites were put forward by landowners and developers and West Suffolk Council is currently carrying out an initial assessment of these sites which will be published as part of their Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) later this autumn. This assessment will not make decisions on the allocation of sites for the local plan.
West Suffolk Council has published a map and and list of all 328 sites alongside detail on what the developer/ landowner has put the sites forward for such as housing, employment, infrastructure, green infrastructure, or a combination of these. This is for information so local communities and stakeholders can see the sites that have been submitted to us for consideration. This can be viewed at www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/planning/Planning_Policies/local_plans/west-suffolk-local-plan-2045/new-local-plan.cfm
West Suffolk Council is at a very early stage in preparing the new local plan. Even when initial site assessments are complete, decisions on site allocations will not be made at this stage. That decision making will be made through full council with members reflecting on the recommendations of the Local Plan Working Party and the evidence gathered through the various stages of public engagement. Both the council and its elected members will be listening to the concerns of local residents throughout this process.
The next major stage of the local plan will be a consultation in May 2027 (after the council elections) which will seek the views of local communities on how new housing growth is to be distributed across the district over the plan period. This is likely to include a consultation on all the sites that have been submitted to us. Responses received to this consultation will help to inform our approach for the next stage of the local plan. Proposed local plan allocations will be presented at the draft local plan public consultation stage in 2028.
They have said that they will make sure town and parish councils as well as their own West Suffolk councillors, will be equipped to help ensure that their local communities are engaged and are encouraged to have their say at the two stages of public consultation.
You can register to be kept up to date on progress with the West Suffolk Local Plan at https://westsuffolk.inconsult.uk/system/register.
For context, when the last call for sites took place in the early phases of preparing West Suffolk’s current local plan, 10 housing sites were considered of which three were deferred, and seven included for consultation. Of the seven included, only one site was included in their now adopted Local Plan – this being Policy AP52 relating to Land West of Bunters Road, Wickhambrook (up to 43 houses and a mixed use element). A planning application (DC/25/1736/HYB) is currently being considered by West Suffolk in respect of this, and the parish council has responded to three consultations on this, the last being in September of this year.
The parish council has an adopted Neighbourhood Plan – follow this link. (PDF, 14 MB)
Use the highlighted links to view:
I have attached extracts for ease in the gallery.
Don’t forget – you can register to be kept up to date on progress with the West Suffolk Local Plan at https://westsuffolk.inconsult.uk/system/register.
I’ll keep you updated as West Suffolk publishes more information.