
West Suffolk planning committee
Councillor Ian Houlder
Reform UKSeen at planning committee from June 2025 to September 2026
- 83%attendance
- 18agreed, no vote against recorded
- 29decisions at their meetings
As at 2 September 2026, according to Plota’s analysis of West Suffolk’s published minutes, Councillor Ian Houlder attended 10 of the 12 planning committee meetings whose minutes list them, from June 2025 to September 2026. On 18 other decisions the minutes record no vote against, so Houlder is counted as agreeing; they are left out of the shares below.
- Meetings attended
- 10 of 1283%
- Meetings whose minutes list them as present, sending apologies or absent. Minutes that list only those present cannot show an absence.
- Decisions at their meetings
- 29
- Applications decided at the meetings they sat on, as the minutes record them.
- Agreed, no vote against recorded
- 18
- Decisions the minutes record with no vote against and no count. Counted as agreeing, and left out of the shares.
- Declared interests
- 0
- Decisions on which the minutes record them declaring an interest.
Voting record
The minutes we hold do not give each member's vote at these meetings, so no vote is counted for Houlder and no voting chart is drawn.
Attendance
83%
10 of 12 meetings whose minutes list them; apologies for 2.
The typical member of this committee attended 87% (the median of 17 members listed at 5 or more meetings).
Every meeting
Each square is a meeting whose minutes list them, oldest first.
Development Control Committee: 10 meetings
Show as a table
| Date | Committee | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 2026 | Development Control Committee | Present |
| 5 Aug 2026 | Development Control Committee | Apologies |
| 1 Jul 2026 | Development Control Committee | Present |
| 3 Jun 2026 | Development Control Committee | Present |
| 29 Apr 2026 | Development Control Committee | Present |
| 1 Apr 2026 | Development Control Committee | Present |
| 4 Mar 2026 | Development Control Committee | Present |
| 4 Feb 2026 | Development Control Committee | Present |
| 7 Jan 2026 | Development Control Committee | Present |
| 3 Dec 2025 | Development Control Committee | Present |
| 5 Nov 2025 | Development Control Committee | Present |
| 4 Jun 2025 | Development Control Committee | Apologies |
Decisions
Every application decided at a meeting they sat on, newest first, with their vote where the minutes give it.
- West Suffolk Operational Hub Bury Road Fornham St Martin Bury St Edmunds SuffolkOperational hub expansion · DC/26/0891/HYB Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Hatchfield Farm Fordham Road Newmarket SuffolkThree commercial units · DC/26/0683/RM Approved Not recordedThe minutes do not say how each member voted
- West Suffolk Operational Hub Bury Road Fornham St Martin SuffolkWaste transfer area changes · DC/26/0487/VAR Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Development Site Stoke Road Clare SuffolkOne dwelling · DC/26/0283/FUL Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Land Off Crown Lane Crown Lane Ixworth Suffolk187 homes and primary school · DC/25/0666/HYB Approved Not recordedThe minutes do not say how each member voted
- Land Opposite Kingshall Farmhouse Kingshall Street Rougham SuffolkBus stop condition variation · DC/26/0708/VAR Approved ForUnanimous vote
- 14 Prospect Row Bury St Edmunds Suffolk35 projecting signs · DC/26/0228/ADV RefusedAgainst officer advice For refusalUnanimous vote
- Land North Of Rougham Hill Bury St Edmunds SuffolkSupermarket and drive-through restaurant · DC/25/1065/FUL RefusedAgainst officer advice Not recordedThe minutes do not say how each member voted
- Land North East Of Bury St Edmunds Bury Road Great Barton SuffolkTemporary construction access · DC/26/0057/FUL Approved Not recordedThe minutes do not say how each member voted
- Former St James Ceva Middle School The Vinefields Bury St Edmunds Suffolk23-home school redevelopment · DC/23/0600/FUL Approved Not recordedThe minutes do not say how each member voted
- St Marys Church Crown Street Bury St Edmunds SuffolkPathway resurfacing works · DC/25/2035/FUL Approved ForUnanimous vote
- West Suffolk Council Depot Olding Road Bury St Edmunds SuffolkLeisure and recreation facility · DC/25/2028/FUL Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Land South Of Hopton Road Barningham SuffolkUp to 60 homes · DC/25/0963/OUT RefusedAgainst officer advice For refusalUnanimous vote
- Land Off Poulters Lane Horringer Suffolk40MW solar farm · DC/25/0909/FUL RefusedAgainst officer advice Not recordedThe minutes do not say how each member voted
- St Marys Church Crown Street Bury St Edmunds SuffolkPathway resurfacing · DC/25/2036/LB Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Land East Of Fred Castle Way And Land South Of Rougham Tower Avenue RoughamGround-level raising works · DC/26/0147/FUL Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Mildenhall Hub Sheldrick Way Mildenhall Bury St Edmunds SuffolkFive solar canopies · DC/25/1798/FUL Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Land Off Friday Street West Row SuffolkAmended plot 6 plans · DC/25/1939/VAR Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Shop 2, The Shutters St Johns Street Bury St Edmunds SuffolkBeer café and shop · DC/25/1312/FUL Approved Not recordedThe minutes do not say how each member voted
- Guildhall Feoffment Community Primary School Bridewell Lane Bury St Edmunds SuffolkRoof-mounted solar panels · DC/25/1842/FUL Approved ForUnanimous vote
- West Suffolk Council Depot Olding Road Bury St Edmunds SuffolkDepot demolition · DC/26/0020/DE1 Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Bus Station, Public Toilets King Street Mildenhall SuffolkTown-centre unit and toilets · DC/25/1794/FUL Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Cross Green Farm Hopton Road Thelnetham SuffolkFour poultry breeder sheds · DC/24/1210/FUL Approved Not recordedThe minutes do not say how each member voted
- Land North Of Mount Road Rougham Suffolk160-home housing development · DC/25/0410/OUT Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Hale House 152 Westley Road Bury St Edmunds SuffolkExtension and four-bay garage · DC/25/1183/HH Approved Not recordedThe minutes do not say how each member voted
- Land West Of Bardwell Road Ixworth Suffolk160-home outline scheme · DC/25/0370/OUT Approved Not recordedThe minutes do not say how each member voted
- Land West Of Mildenhall West Row Road Mildenhall SuffolkMixed-use development · DC/24/0151/HYB Approved Not recordedThe minutes do not say how each member voted
- 9 Short Brackland Bury St Edmunds SuffolkTwo dwellings · DC/25/1375/P3CMA Approved ForUnanimous vote
- Land At 34 And 36 Old Station Road Newmarket SuffolkTwo duplex flats · DC/25/0163/FUL Approved ForUnanimous vote
No decision matches these filters.
In the minutes
What the minutes record Houlder moving, seconding, asking or saying on each decision, in the minutes’ own words. Passages that name more than one councillor, or a member of the public, are left out.
Subjects in what the minutes record
- Parking and traffic4 Feb 2026
- Green belt and countryside4 Feb 2026
- Seconded
“This was duly seconded by Councillor Ian Houlder.”
Minutes, 2 Sep 2026, West Suffolk Operational Hub Bury Road Fornham St Martin Bury St Edmunds Suffolk - Spoke in support
“Councillor Ian Houlder spoke in support of the application and stated that a deferral would be of no tangible benefit, accordingly he proposed that the application be approved as per the Officer recommendations, inclusive of the identified amendments to the conditions and the additional condition in respect of emergency access arrangements.”
Minutes, 1 Jul 2026, Land Off Crown Lane Crown Lane Ixworth Suffolk - Seconded
“This was duly seconded by Councillor Ian Houlder.”
Minutes, 3 Jun 2026, Land Opposite Kingshall Farmhouse Kingshall Street Rougham Suffolk - Spoke in support
“Councillor Ian Houlder spoke in support of the application and welcomed the scheme in addressing the detraction of the abbey ruins by an abandoned school site. He therefore proposed that the application be approved as per the Officer recommendation.”
Minutes, 29 Apr 2026, Former St James Ceva Middle School The Vinefields Bury St Edmunds Suffolk - Seconded
“This was duly seconded by Councillor Ian Houlder.”
Minutes, 1 Apr 2026, Land South Of Hopton Road Barningham Suffolk - Seconded
“This was duly seconded by Councillor Ian Houlder.”
Minutes, 1 Apr 2026, West Suffolk Council Depot Olding Road Bury St Edmunds Suffolk - Seconded
“This was duly seconded by Councillor Ian Houlder.”
Minutes, 4 Mar 2026, Shop 2, The Shutters St Johns Street Bury St Edmunds Suffolk - Spoke
“Councillor Ian Houlder commended the Officers for assessing and presenting vast amounts of varied information in relation to the application. He also referenced the rural highway network and how many villages in West Suffolk regularly experienced large agricultural vehicles on small roads.”
Minutes, 4 Feb 2026, Cross Green Farm Hopton Road Thelnetham Suffolk - Moved approval
“Councillor Houlder then proposed that the application be approved, as per the Officer recommendation and inclusive of the amendments/additions as outlined to the meeting.”
Minutes, 4 Feb 2026, Cross Green Farm Hopton Road Thelnetham Suffolk - Moved approval
“Councillor Ian Houlder then proposed that the application be approved”
Minutes, 4 Feb 2026, Cross Green Farm Hopton Road Thelnetham Suffolk - Seconded
“This was duly seconded by Councillor Ian Houlder.”
Minutes, 4 Feb 2026, Bus Station, Public Toilets King Street Mildenhall Suffolk - Moved approval
“Councillor Ian Houlder then proposed that the application be approved, as per the Officer’s recommendation.”
Minutes, 3 Dec 2025, Land West Of Mildenhall West Row Road Mildenhall Suffolk - Moved approval
“Councillor Ian Houlder proposed that the application be approved, as per the Officer recommendation and inclusion of the additional conditions as outlined in the presentation, however this failed to achieve a seconder.”
Minutes, 3 Dec 2025, Land West Of Bardwell Road Ixworth Suffolk
How this is worked out
Everything here is read from West Suffolk’s published planning committee minutes, 15 meetings from June 2025 to September 2026. A councillor is matched across meetings by the council’s own member number where it has one, otherwise by full name.
Each vote shows how it is known. Named in the minutes: the minutes, or the council’s own recorded vote, list each member with their vote. From the count and the names: the minutes give the numbers and name the members in the minority, and every member present is known. All members present in favour: the minutes say every member voted for it and the members present are known. No vote against recorded: the minutes record the decision with no vote against, no abstention and no count, at a council whose minutes print a divided vote when there is one, so each member present is counted for. Unanimous vote: the minutes call the decision unanimous, or give a count with no one against and no one abstaining, and each member present is counted for. From the meeting recording: the vote was heard on the council’s recording of the meeting and closes exactly with the members present. Where none of these holds, the vote is left as “Not recorded” and is not counted.
Votes are on the resolution the committee passed, so a vote for is a vote with the majority. A vote is a decision on the application in front of the committee, not a statement of the councillor’s views. A percentage is shown only with five or more votes, decisions or meetings behind it.
Source: Plota analysis of the council’s minutes. The party is from the council’s own list of councillors.
Also on this committee
- Andrew SmithConservative
- Carol BullConservative
- David SmithLabour
- Jon LondonLib Dem
- Marilyn SayerLabour
- Mike ChesterConservative
- Susan GlossopConservative
- Jim ThorndykeIndependent
- Roger DickerIndependent
- Sara Mildmay-WhiteConservative
- Andy NealIndependent
- Lora-Jane Miller-Jones
- Rachel HoodConservative
- David TaylorIndependent
- Charlie LynchConservative
- Don WaldronReform UK