I went back to Creeting St Peter yesterday to attend a Parish Meeting, called to discuss the proposals for a Business and Enterprise Park at the north-west end of the Parish, adjoining Stowmarket.
We don't do flaming torches and pitchforks as a rule, although Cllr Caroline Byles, our District Councillor, might have felt at home had we brought some - even more so had she decided to turn up. She had told the Parish Council that 'we should be grateful' that development was going to come to our village in the shape of a lorry park. Perhaps living fifteen miles away from the site lends enchantment... and it doesn't feel like that from a mile away.
In fairness, the council officers who came to place the proposals in context with the needs of the Stowmarket area, options for development and geography, did an excellent job of convincing us that they had our best interests at heart. I was personally intrigued by the notion that a regular bus service might be part of village life in the future - my efforts to encourage provision of a bus stop may yet bear fruit - but my concern is that, if development must go ahead, I want as much as possible for the villages of Stowupland and Creeting St Peter.
It was a very well attended meeting by Creeting standards, and a range of questions and concerns were raised. Hopefully, we have laid down a few markers for the future, although without a Parish Plan, it will be difficult to agree upon a principled approach for the village in the face of future development.
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