Tea Rooms At The Old Blacksmiths Shop Thorpe Road Aldringham Cum Thorpe Suffolk Data via plota.co.uk
Awaiting decision
DC/26/3066/VOC
Description
Variation of Condition No. 3 of - Change of Use - from light industrial B1(c) to Cafe A3 - Extended opening hours Data via plota.co.uk
Last checked
Site constraints 4
Flood zone 3, rivers and sea
High chance: a 1 in 100 or greater annual chance from rivers, or 1 in 200 from the sea. Any development here needs a flood risk assessment. Defences are not counted.
The Environment Agency flood map for planning. Homes in zone 3 must also pass the sequential test. Surface water flooding is a separate map.
Suffolk Coast & Heaths National Landscape
Great weight to conserving the landscape; major development restricted.
Previously an area of outstanding natural beauty, which is still the designation in law. Since 2023 authorities must seek to further its purpose, not merely have regard to it.
Heritage coast: Suffolk
A defined stretch of undeveloped coastline.
Development inconsistent with keeping the coast undeveloped is resisted.
Habitat network: Other Priority Habitats - NEZ
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Not affected
Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site
Checked on 11 September 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.
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East Suffolk
Planning Authority Score
5.3/10
Average
#129 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use
East Suffolk ranks #183 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (95%) than the national average (90%).
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application.
View full council performance
East Suffolk decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
92%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #81 of 296
95%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #76 of 296
60%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #183 of 296
42%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #162 of 296
80%
Minor dwellings approved
212 decided (1-9 homes)
100%
Major dwellings approved
19 decided (10+ homes)
81%
Change of use approved
139 decided
1,965
Total decisions
158 refused in the year to March 2026
Referenced application