Bures Neighbourhood Plan

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Bures Hamlet and Bures St Mary are preparing a joint Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP). When complete, it will be used to help guide and shape future development across the two parishes.

This NDP also covers the two district council areas of Babergh and Braintree, with Babergh District Council acting as the lead local authority. Please also visit the Braintree District Council website for information published there on this NDP.

Latest news...

Reg 16 Submission consultation (29 Sept to 14 Nov 2025)

The Bures NDP and other required documents were submitted to Babergh District Council and Braintree District Council earlier this year. In accordance with Regulation 16 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) both Councils are making this Plan available for public consultation.

The consultation exercise will run from Monday 29 September until 4:00pm on Friday 14 November 2025.

A list of the submitted documents appears below. A Public Notice explains where copies of the submitted Plan can be accessed at various locations in Bures.

An assessment on how this NDP meets the basic condition tests will form part of the examination. Initial checks carried out by both district councils suggest that the relevant procedural requirements have now been met. See our Regulation 15 Checklist.

Submitting your comments

All comments (preferably using our Response Form) should be sent to Babergh District Council. You can email these to: communityplanning@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk

Alternatively, you can post your comments to:

Bures NDP Consultation, c/o Planning Policy Team

Babergh District Council

Endeavour House

8 Russell Road

Ipswich, IP1 2BX

All comments must be made in writing and must be received by the consultation deadline. Your comments cannot be treated as confidential and, with the exception of personal contact details, will be made publicly accessible on both local authority websites at the end of the consultation period. As part of your response, you can also state if you wish to be notified when we both publish the Bures NDP examination report and if/when this NDP is adopted by both district councils.

This FAQs document may also be helpful.

Previous stages...

SEA/HRA Screening and Determination (Nov 2024)

The pre-submission draft Bures NDP was screened to determine whether a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and or a Habitats Assessment (HRA) were required. Both were 'screened-out'. 

The screening assessment, carried out by the consultants appointed by the Bures NDP Team, and the joint Determination Notice issued by Babergh District Council and Braintree District Council are published below:

Reg 14 pre-submission consultation (2 Sept to 28 Oct 2024)

Consultation on the pre-submission draft Bures NDP by the two parish councils closed on 28 October 2024. For more information, please visit the Bures NP Public Consultation webpage.

Reg 7 Area Designation (Nov 2021)

A joint application made by Bures Hamlet and Bures St Mary to designate their two parishes as a single NDP Area was received and consulted on by Braintree and Babergh District Councils between 1 September and 15 October 2021. No objections were received. 

In accordance with their governance procedures, the two planning authorities agreed to designate the Bures NDP Area.