Rectory Cottage 173 Ipswich Road Helmingham Stowmarket Suffolk IP14 6EQ Data via plota.co.uk

DC/26/02159 - Full Planning Application Approved

Proposal

Full Planning Application - Change of use from residential dwelling to storage use Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
19 May 2026
✓
Validated
17 Jul 2026
✓
Consultation
1 Sept 2026
✓
Approved
11 Sept 2026

Approved on 11 Sept 2026 · Delegated Decision · Last checked 24 Sept 2026

Site constraints 5

Agricultural land, grade 2
Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) agrees.
Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.
Registered park or garden 25 m away: Helmingham Hall
Its setting is a consideration for work nearby.
Registered parks and gardens, battlefields, world heritage sites and protected wrecks are designated heritage assets: harm needs clear and convincing justification.
Historic England ↗
Habitat network: Other Priority Habitats -NEX
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
4 listed buildings within 150 m
Nearest: Church of St Mary, Grade I, 42 m away · 1 Grade I, 3 Grade II
The site itself is not listed. Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Show all 4 with distances
Historic England ↗
Also on the record
Priority habitat 4 m away: Deciduous woodland.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

Building

Floor area67 m² (721 sq ft)
Energy ratingG (1 out of 100), could reach C
PropertySemi-detached house, 3 habitable rooms
BuiltBefore 1900
HeatingRoom heaters, electric
WallsSolid brick, as built, no insulation (assumed)

From the energy performance certificate lodged in October 2014, the latest held for this property. The building may have changed since. View the certificate

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Important details

Application type
Full Planning Application
Postcode
IP14 6EQ
Received
19 May 2026
Validated
17 Jul 2026
Ward
Stonham
Parish
Helmingham
Case officer
Show
Target decision
11 Sept 2026
Decision
Granted
Decision date
11 Sept 2026
Decision level
Delegated Decision
Applicant
Show

How this decision compares

Decided in 56 days from validation, about the council's usual 56 days. Approved, as 79% of changes of use here are.

64%decided within 8 weeks
79%approved
126decided in the last year

Plota live figures for changes of use decided by Babergh Mid Suffolk in the last twelve months, from validation. Babergh Mid Suffolk decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

2 neighbours consulted · Last counted 24 Sept 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Neighbours
20 Jul 2026
Consultation
1 Sept 2026
Comments by
10 Sept 2026
Site or press notice
3 Aug 2026
Statutory expiry
11 Sept 2026
Env. assessment
No
Babergh Mid Suffolk
Planning Authority Score
7.7/10
Good
#33 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Babergh Mid Suffolk is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #56 out of 296. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (95%) than the national average (90%).

Faster than most councils
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Babergh Mid Suffolk decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
89%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #124 of 296
95%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #68 of 296
77%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #56 of 296
34%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #83 of 296
74%
Minor dwellings approved
160 decided (1-9 homes)
73%
Major dwellings approved
11 decided (10+ homes)
93%
Change of use approved
40 decided
882
Total decisions
99 refused in the year to March 2026

Freehold boundary: © Crown copyright and database rights 2026, HM Land Registry. Polygons © Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey 100026316. Conditions of use

Energy performance: Energy performance certificates from the Energy Performance of Buildings Register, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright 2026.