A masterplan for 300 or more new homes on the edge of a Suffolk village has been published.

Public consultation can now go ahead on the proposals - which will also include employment sites and a local centre - for land off the A11 north of Red Lodge.

Planning and design consultancy Barton Willmore said it plans to submit an outline planning application in late 2022, and will look for a developer to build the homes on the 69-acre site over six years once all the necessary planning permissions have been granted.

In the masterplan the firm said: “The vision is to create a new sustainable neighbourhood to the north of Red Lodge set within an attractive environment that responds to the local character and landscape setting of Suffolk.

“The new development should fully integrate existing and new residential areas, with local services, new employment and open space, delivering benefits to the existing community as well as the new residents.

“The new primary school, known as The Pines, has already been provided and opened in September 2018. When the rest of the North Red Lodge development is complete it will provide around 300 high-quality homes of mixed tenure, a new local centre, major employment opportunities, further scope for the primary school to expand to meet local need and new areas of open space.”

The land is allocated for a mixed-use development – including up to 350 homes and eight hectares of employment space – in West Suffolk Council’s 2019 site allocations. The authority’s local plan policy requires a masterplan to be developed and approved by the council before a formal planning application is lodged. It will be a material consideration for the future planning committee when an application is decided in future.

The masterplan says the new neighbourhood will retain mature trees, provide footpaths and cycle connections and a new “community hub”. It also offers the opportunity to expand The Pines primary school.

Work on the masterplan, including talks with utility firms and West Suffolk and Suffolk County councils, has been ongoing since spring 2018.

West Suffolk Council approved the masterplan to go out to public consultation. A date has not yet been confirmed.

Barton Willmore has been approached for comment.