Community Consultation
Statement – Round 1
consultation
1. Overview
This Community Consultation Statement sets out how Suffolk County Council proposes to
undertake the first round of (non-statutory) consultation with people in the vicinity of the proposed
three new crossings of the River Orwell in Ipswich, referred to as the Upper Orwell Crossings.
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This first round of consultation will commence on Friday 1 July 2016 and run for a six week
th
period, closing on Friday 12 August 2016.
2. Summary of Proposals
Suffolk County Council is proposing three new crossings of the River Orwell. The crossings would
relieve existing traffic congestion in Ipswich, especially on east-west routes and on the A14 (over
the Orwell Bridge and nearby junctions). The crossings would provide new routes and access for
all road users. The crossings would also support future development of the Wet Dock Island and
act as a catalyst for regeneration in the southern section of the town.
The proposed crossings include:

Crossing A: A new road crossing of the River Orwell to the south of the Wet Dock Island,
which would connect the east and west banks. This crossing would be for all road users
including cyclists and pedestrians.

Crossing B: A new road crossing of the New Cut, which would connect the west bank to the
Wet Dock Island. This crossing would be for all road users including cyclists and pedestrians.

Crossing C: An improved crossing over the Prince Philip Lock, which would connect the east
bank to the West Dock Island. This crossing would be for cyclists and pedestrians only.
3. The Planning Process
Suffolk County Council, as the local highway authority, has sought a direction from the Secretary
of State for Transport that the project is designated a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project
(NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008.
If the project receives NSIP status, Suffolk County Council would be required to submit a
Development Consent Order application to be determined by the Secretary of State for Transport.
The NSIP process comes with specific requirements for pre-application (statutory) consultation
with statutory consultees and the local community. Regardless of the planning process
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undertaken, in addition to the first round consultation (the focus of this Community Consultation
Statement), Suffolk County Council will undertake a second round of consultation, which will be
the formal pre-application consultation, in accordance with the relevant planning requirements.
In preparation of the possible designation of the project as an NSIP, the consultation
requirements of the Planning Act 2008 have informed this Community Consultation Statement.
The Statements of Community Involvement prepared by the relevant ‘host’ planning authorities,
(Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council) to inform their own approaches to
consultation, have been taken into account in developing the consultation proposals for The
Upper Orwell Crossings.
4. Previous Consultation
During the development of the Outline Business Case in 2015, which identified a preferred option
for the crossings, Suffolk County Council undertook consultation on the principle and broad
location of the crossings with some key stakeholders. This included:

The members of a “Taskforce” formed in 2014 by the Member of Parliament for Ipswich (Ben
Gummer) which included Suffolk County Council Councillors and Officers, New Anglia Local
Enterprise Partnership, Ipswich Borough Council Councillors and Officers, Associated British
Ports, University Campus Suffolk and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce.

Businesses, led by Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and University Campus Suffolk, in October
2015.
Since the approval of the Outline Business Case by the Department for Transport in March 2016,
Suffolk County Council has held further meetings with some statutory stakeholders and key
stakeholder groups.
5. What Suffolk County Council will consult on during round 1 (informal consultation)
The consultation will:

Raise awareness and inform businesses, residents and local communities about the
proposed crossings including:

the project objectives;

planning and design process; and

their opportunities for input.

Invite people who may have an interest in or may be affected by the proposals to have a say

Provide opportunities for people to have a say about the proposals.

Produce a Community Consultation Report to provide people with timely feedback about the
matters raised during the consultation.

Facilitate feedback about the proposals including:

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the benefits and constraints of the crossings;
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
indicative options for traffic mitigation measures; and

other matters we need to consider prior to undertaking further planning and design
work.
The second round consultation (formal consultation) will add to this by:

Consulting on Preliminary Environmental Information (see below)

Provide people with feedback about the matters raised during the first round of consultation
and how these were considered.

Facilitate feedback about the revised proposals including:

the alignment, design and appearance of the crossings

the scope and form of any mitigation measures, and

other matters Suffolk County Council should consider prior to submitting the
application for the crossings.
If progressed as an NSIP the project would be classed as Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) development under the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment)
Regulations 2009. The EIA would consider the potential impacts of the project including on air
and water quality, noise, townscape, traffic, ecology, archaeology and heritage, socio-economics,
and cumulative impacts. As part of the second round of consultation, Suffolk County Council
would publish a Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR). The PEIR would present
preliminary assessments of the likely significant environmental effects, both positive and negative,
of the construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning phases of the Project, as well
as provisional mitigation measures. It will not set out the final findings; these will be included in
the Environmental Statement that will accompany the Development Consent Order application.
The consultation approach for the second round of consultation will be documented in a
Statement of Community Consultation, as required by the Planning Act 2008, which will be an
updated version of this document.
6. How Suffolk County Council will promote the consultation
Suffolk County Council will promote the consultation by:

Distributing a community update to communities and businesses that lie within the likely
affected area (see the community update distribution map in Appendix A)

Placing newspaper advertisements in the Ipswich Star and East Anglian Daily Times (see the
newspaper advertisements distribution map in Appendix A)

Distributing press releases to the local press

Putting in posters in the local area

Promoting the consultation via Suffolk County Council’s website and social media channels.
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A community update, information panels and a questions and answers document will be prepared
to support the consultation. All consultation material will be available on the project website.
Consultation materials will be written in plain-English and will be translated upon request.
7. Who Suffolk County Council will consult
Suffolk County Council will consult residents living within the vicinity of the proposal, as well as
people across Suffolk, as the proposal will have benefits beyond this area, and extend to those
living, working or visiting the local area, as well as people across Suffolk.
The consultation will provide an early opportunity for the following community members to have a
say on the proposals:

Identified Tenant and Resident Associations.

Potentially impacted landowners and businesses.

Non-statutory stakeholders including relevant environment, transport, economic, community
stakeholders and parish councils.

The broader community including residents, workers, road users, pedestrians and cyclists.

Minority, hard to reach and seldom heard groups.
8. How Suffolk County Council will consult
During the consultation, Suffolk County Council will provide opportunities for the above parties to
understand and comment on the proposal and its likely positive and negative effects.
The consultation will include the following activities.
Targeted briefings, exhibitions and meetings:

Briefings for the Taskforce, Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council Councillors,
the Chamber of Commerce and press.

An exhibition for invited landowners and businesses and representatives of identified Tenant
and Resident Associations.

Attendance of Ipswich Borough Council’s Area Committees (Southwest, Southeast and
Central).
Five public exhibitions at suitably accessible locations:

Ipswich Town Hall, Cornhill, Ipswich, IP1 1DH on Thursday 7th July, 12pm to 7pm.

Ipswich Town Hall, Cornhill, Ipswich, IP1 1DH on Saturday 9th July, 10am to 5pm.

Dance East, Jerwood DanceHouse, Foundry Lane, Ipswich, IP4 1DW on Friday 15th July,
10am to 5pm.
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
Dance East, Jerwood DanceHouse, Foundry Lane, Ipswich, IP4 1DW on Saturday 16th July,
10am to 5pm.

St Luke’s Church, Cliff Lane, Ipswich, IP3 0PJ on Monday 18th July, 5pm to 9pm.
Pop-up public exhibitions will be held at the following times and locations:

Ipswich Music Day, Christchurch Park, Ipswich, IP4 2BX on Sunday 3rd July, 12pm to 4pm.

Ipswich Mela, Christchurch Park, Ipswich, IP4 2BX on Sunday 10th July, 12pm to 4pm.

Ipswich Wheels Festival, Chantry Park, Hadleigh Road, Ipswich, IP2 0BS on Sunday 17th
July, 10am to 2pm.

Ipswich Market, Cornhill, Ipswich, IP1 1DH on Friday 22nd July, 8.30am to 5pm.
At all public exhibitions there will be an opportunity to discuss the proposals with a member of the
project team and to record comments in writing.
Unmanned information panels will be on display at the following locations and times:

Suffolk County Council, Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX, between Friday
1st July and Friday 12th July, during opening hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

Gainsborough Community Library, Clapgate Lane, Ipswich, IP3 0RL, between Friday 1st July
and Thursday 21st July, during the opening hours listed on http://suffolklibraries.co.uk.

Chantry Library, Hawthorn Drive, Ipswich, IP2 0QY, between Friday 22nd July and Friday
12th August, during the opening hours listed on http://suffolklibraries.co.uk.
www.suffolk.gov.uk/UpperOrwellCrossings
Background information on the proposal, copies of the consultation materials and a link to the
online survey will be available 24/7 on the Suffolk County Council website.
Consultation survey
A consultation survey has been developed to collect feedback on the proposals. This survey will
be available online and will be available for completion at public exhibitions. A hard copy of the
survey will be posted to people upon request.
Written feedback
Written feedback will be able to be submitted to a dedicated project email.
Responses may be made public, subject to data protection laws, once the application has been
submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport or during any subsequent public examination.
The first round of consultation will close on 12th August 2016 and comments should be received
by Suffolk County Council by this date.
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9. Outcomes of the consultation
The outcomes of the consultation will be analysed and published in a Community Consultation
Report. The purpose of this report will be to document the approach taken to the first round of
consultation. This report will be made publically available on the project website and will include:

A summary of the consultation process undertaken.

Details about how Suffolk County Council met the relevant consultation commitments as
outlined above.

A summary of the feedback received during the consultation.

A summary of the key issues to be considered when progressing the planning and design of
the crossings.
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APPENDIX A

Community update distribution map

Advertisements distribution map
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