A councillor has urged people to "make their feelings known" after raising concerns over proposals for a new 1,300-home north of Lowestoft garden village.
With a first consultation under way this week, Suffolk County Council is seeking views before the production of a masterplan for the land within the Corton parish.
A virtual public exhibition for the masterplan that will guide "future development of land known as the North of Lowestoft Garden Village" continues until February 15.
With a new primary school and pre school for 480 pupils, a retirement community and 1,300 homes earmarked, the proposed housing development in north Lowestoft, adjacent to the A47, is on land majority owned by the county council.
County councillor for the Gunton division in north Lowestoft, Keith Patience, however believes the proposals should be reconsidered.
With the proposed garden village site close to the Lowestoft Water Treatment Works - a sewage plant that has attracted complaints from residents in nearby Corton - Cllr Patience, Labour spokesman for East Suffolk and Coastal Affairs at Suffolk County Council, said: “These proposals to put 1,300 homes on the doorstep of sewage works which already means residents of nearby Corton regularly have to shut their windows because of the smell, makes me question whether this is really the best place for a so-called ‘garden village’.
“Instead of another development concreting over what is left of our countryside, we should be moving investment towards Lowestoft town centre.
“Everyone knows there is huge demand for housing and there are plenty of brownfield sites we could develop to help regenerate Lowestoft and benefit local people.
“I urge local residents to make their feelings known in the consultation.”
The new virtual exhibition website lists the Masterplan Site as "a broad area of land, which comprises approximately 71 hectares that sits to the east of the A47 (formerly A12) to the north of Lowestoft within the parish of Corton.
"The site is currently arable land which lies adjacent to the village of Corton.
"To the north is the Lowestoft Sewage Treatment Works."
It adds: "We will consider feedback from this consultation when working up the preferred options Masterplan document, before the next stage of consultation in the Summer of 2021."
Visit the virtual exhibition via https://www.northoflowestoft.co.uk/
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