Stowmarket Town Council could take legal action in fight for Union Road boundary review as row over 446-home development continues

A council could take legal action over a disputed boundary between a town and a village following a row about a 446-home development.

At Stowmarket Town Council’s meeting on Wednesday, councillors voiced their concerns regarding the new housing development in Union Road between Stowmarket and Onehouse.

Mid Suffolk District Council has said the development is part of Onehouse – introducing approximately 1,053 new residents to the village and more than doubling the current population.

However, Town Clerk David Blackburn said he believed that this decision could leave Stowmarket £1 million out of pocket over the course of 10 years regarding Council Tax and CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) funding.

He said: “The Union Road development is a natural extension of Stowmarket and therefore should be included within the town’s boundaries.

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“All the people on that very large housing estate will look for their services in Stowmarket – they will not just go to the village hall in Onehouse.

“I drove down to the development and there’s two houses next door to each other – one is in Stowmarket, the other is supposedly in Onehouse.

“It is madness – we can’t be telling residents that they’re paying towards Stowmarket while their next door neighbour is part of a village a mile down the road.

“It is preposterous, I’ve never seen anything like this in my career before.”

The original planning application for the development was rejected by Onehouse Parish Council as it would ‘erode the identity of Onehouse village’ and that there was a ‘need for continued separation from Stowmarket’.

The Stowmarket Area Action Plan identified the site’s potential for development in 2013 and the original housing plans were approved in 2020.

Mid Suffolk District Council said it would review the boundaries after the local elections.

However, even if the boundaries are changed – the changes would not be implemented for four years as it would affect and create conflict with the recent elections.

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Cllr Barry Salmon said: “I do believe there is a sensible way forward where Onehouse Parish Council should receive sufficient income to benefit their village and to be able to renovate and repair their village hall.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think that can be at the expense of Stowmarket.

“Personally I think we should not just write a letter to ask what the district council are doing, but we should write a letter telling them that if they don’t get on with it – we will take it to judicial review because it is that important.”

Cllr Terrence Carter, newly appointed deputy town mayor, said: “Having had the discussions and seeing that Onehouse did not support the original plans – it all seems quite surreal to be honest with you.

“I think we should push for judicial review – in my opinion it should be less carrot and stick and more just going for the stick.”

The town clerk explained that as Mid Suffolk District Council had not made an official decision on the boundary, it was difficult to take the case to court for legal action at this stage.

Instead Stowmarket Town Council voted to send a letter to the district council making it clear that the review needed to be completed and a decision on the development to be made.

Mr Blackburn added: “We have held back – we haven’t gone to the ombudsman as you could argue this is maladministration, but the moment they make the decision to go against this we will probably go for judicial review in the high court.

“It would be such a bonkers decision – we have legal advisors who have said we have a really strong case so we are urging our district councillors to take this forward and get this review completed.”

Onehouse Parish Council and Mid Suffolk District Council have been approached for comment.