Village Masterplan, Somerleyton

The Overview

Somerleyton is a quintessential Suffolk village, of medieval origin. The estate village is full of historic features and community assets. Picturesque cottages with great architectural interest, primary school, village hall, pubs, churches, marina and recreation areas.

The Challenge

Plaice was approached to create a Village Masterplan for the Somerleyton Estate. This followed work by the Neighbourhood Plan committee, the Waveney Local Plan and discussions with stakeholders and interested parties. The aim was to consult with the wider community on the Village Masterplan and proposals for two sites identified in the Local Plan for residential development. Somerleyton is a unique and attractive village and it was vital that this was kept in sight throughout.

The Solution

We began by working closely with the client, planning consultant colleagues and stakeholders to capture the village and its aspirations using plans and visualisations. This was followed by five public consultation events culminating in a web site to capture the aspirations and results. We are currently working on a Vision for Somerleyton Ashby and Fritton, for the Somerleyton Estate. This has entailed identifying village features and development areas, as well as capturing new ideas and proposals, within the existing planning framework. We have produced concept drawings and illustrative consultation material and are about to embark on public consultation engagement sessions. This will seek to establish a vision for Somerleyton for the next 15 to 20 years.