Preliminary archaeological works are now under way on land in Victoria Mill Road, Framlingham, earmarked for a new housing development.

The site, where 35 homes are planned, already has outline consent. A detailed application is expected to be submitted to East Suffolk Council within weeks.

Developer Leaper’s proposals have drawn mixed views locally. Framlingham’s neighbourhood plan had suggested that between 25 and 30 homes would be more appropriate for the location. Concern has also been voiced about a proposed access road cutting across an area of community green space.

Former town council planning chair Simon Garrett previously described the plans as “overdevelopment” compared with the agreed neighbourhood guidelines. While he welcomed a reduction in housing numbers from earlier designs, he maintained that the new access route was “unnecessary” and conflicted with the council’s community value designations.

In response, Leaper director Dominic Palmer-Tomkinson defended the scheme, stressing that the company is focusing on custom and self-build homes, which are in high demand locally. He added that their chosen architect is committed to traditional design, sympathetic to Framlingham’s character.

A larger proposal for 49 homes on the same site had previously been turned down by a planning inspector.