The Parish Council draws residents' attention to the press release copied below that was issued on 29 August 2024 on behalf of both our community and Bentley Parish Council.

An immense amount of work has gone into this challenge over the last few months which the Parish Council hopes residents will realise had to be kept confidential for legal reasons.

This is unlikely to be the end of the story but the Parish Council will continue to do all it can to protect our community from this ruinous and unnececssary development. 

JOINT STATEMENT BY BENTLEY AND COPDOCK & WASHBROOK PARISH COUNCILS: BROCKLEY WOOD APPROVAL QUASHED

Today, the Royal Court of Justice has quashed the planning permission granted by Suffolk County Council (SCC) for the extraction, processing and sale of sand and gravel together with the processing of inert waste materials including concrete crushing at Brockley Wood.

This is a direct result of action taken by Bentley and Copdock & Washbrook Parish Councils and a small group of Bentley residents, on behalf of their local communities. This action was taken to hold SCC to account for their unlawful approval of this application and is just reward for the enormous amount of work undertaken by those individuals.

With planning approval quashed, all work on the site should cease as there is no longer any lawful basis for such works to be undertaken.

Suffolk County Council has agreed that the applicant will need to re-consider their application in light of the site being designated as a Valued Landscape. They confirm that this will include re-consulation on any revised plans or documents submitted in order to ensure that SCC review all grounds of our Judicial Review Claim relating to Valued Landscape, HGV movements, noise levels for local residents and land raising issues, all of which must be considered lawfully.

Both Councils will engage with elected representatives at District and County level to do all they can to work together to ensure any subsequent application will have the least impact on our communties and our valued landscape. We will continue to hold Suffolk County Coiuncil to account for the manner in which this process is conducted.

We will update residents on developements as they unfold.

Cllr Marianne Munday, Chair of Bentley Parish Council

Cllr Adrian Ward, Chair of Copdock & Washbrook Parish Council