Council saves Kiln Meadow - your views sought

The Council's Executive agreed in November not to sell the 4.25-hectare site to developers. Kiln Meadow, which provides a refuge for toads and dormice, lies just north of the A14 and is bordered by Spring Wood and Millennium Wood local nature reserves and by grassland. It is also adjacent to the Thorington Park housing development.

Outline planning permission for houses to be built on Kiln Meadow had been granted by Babergh District Council but this has expired. Now, the Borough Council has signalled a firm "no" to the bulldozers and opted to save it from development.

Now there are four possible options for its future status and Council Leader David Ellesmere says he is seeking the views of residents and other interested parties before a report goes back to Executive in March.

"We were pleased to step in and save Kiln Meadow after talking to many groups, including Friends of Belstead Brook Park, Ipswich Wildlife Group, Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the RSPB. Now we have to decide what happens to the site. We have four options for people to consider and a hope many people will get involved in this consultation. Their views are very important."

Option 1 - Declare the land as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR);

Option 2 - To investigate use as a more formal public open space; 

Option 3 - A combination of Local Nature Reserve and more formal public open space;

Option 4 - Do nothing.

Details on how to comment are available on the Kiln Meadow Consultation web page.