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Babergh District · Suffolk

Planning consultants in Babergh

Just across the Stour from our Manningtree office, Babergh takes in Dedham Vale, the Shotley peninsula and the historic wool towns of Lavenham, Long Melford, Hadleigh and Sudbury.

Benjamin Plunkett, Managing Director
✓Free home visit ✓No obligation ✓Honest advice ✓Fixed price Ben, our Managing Director and Planning & Heritage Consultant, will visit your property anywhere in our six council areas.
📞 Call 01206 656027 or book online →
East Bergholt Hadleigh Sudbury Lavenham Long Melford Capel St Mary Holbrook Stutton Bentley Nayland

Planning in Babergh

Babergh District Council works jointly with Mid Suffolk, and the two councils share a Joint Local Plan and one planning service. Common considerations include:

  • Protected landscapes. The Dedham Vale National Landscape covers Constable Country around East Bergholt, Stratford St Mary and the Stour valley, and the Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Landscape takes in much of the Shotley peninsula. Design, materials and landscape impact are looked at closely.
  • Exceptional heritage. Lavenham, Long Melford, Hadleigh, Kersey, Nayland and many other villages have conservation areas and large numbers of listed buildings, many of them timber-framed.
  • Estuaries. The Stour and Orwell estuaries are protected habitats, so new homes nearby often need a Suffolk Coast RAMS contribution.
  • Village sites. Settlement boundaries, neighbourhood plans and rural character all shape what's possible for new homes and conversions.

How we help in Babergh

  • Extensions and alterations, including contemporary designs on traditional homes
  • Listed building consent and heritage statements
  • Barn conversions and refurbishments
  • New homes, outline applications and redesigns of refused schemes
  • Pools, garden rooms and outbuildings in sensitive settings

See our recent Babergh projects.

Our services in Babergh

Heritage & Listed BuildingsFind out more → Planning ApplicationsFind out more → New Builds & DevelopmentFind out more → Extensions & AlterationsFind out more → Change of Use & HMOsFind out more → Pre-Application AdviceFind out more → Appeals & EnforcementFind out more →
Benjamin PlunkettCharlie Plunkett

Who'll handle your project: Benjamin Plunkett, our Managing Director and Planning & Heritage Consultant, is your point of contact from the first site visit to the decision. Charlie Plunkett MCIAT produces the drawings.

About us
Local work

Recent projects in Babergh

See more
3D view of the mid-century style rear extension
Extension Babergh

Mid-century style extension and recladding of a home in Elmsett

A single-storey extension, new windows and cedar and off-white cladding that give a mid-century chalet bungalow in Elmsett a fresh retro-modern look.
Aerial view of the Grade II listed thatched cottage
Listed windows & doors Babergh

Timber windows and doors for a Grade II listed thatched cottage

Planning permission and listed building consent to replace and add timber windows and French doors at a Grade II listed thatched cottage in Great Waldingfield.
The front of The Freston Boot, a Grade II listed country pub
Listed building Babergh

Sauna and plunge pools at a Grade II listed country pub

Planning and listed building consent applications for a barn-style sauna and three plunge pools at The Freston Boot, redesigned after pre-application advice.
Proposed front elevation with a bay-style window in place of the garage door
Lawful development Babergh

Drawings for a garage-to-office conversion in Brantham

We drew up the plans and elevations for a lawful development certificate to turn an integral garage into a home office in Brantham, which was granted.
Side elevation showing the new extension linking the house to the garage
Extension Babergh

Rear extension and part garage conversion near Ipswich

A single-storey rear extension with a new dining room, joined to a partly converted garage with a home office, for a detached house near Ipswich.
3D view of the new rear extension from the garden
Extension Babergh

Single-storey rear kitchen extension in Stratford St Mary

A single-storey rear extension with a vaulted kitchen and dining room for a detached family home in the Dedham Vale National Landscape, approved by Babergh.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do I apply to Babergh?

At the time of writing, Babergh has its own online forms for householder applications and discharge of conditions, and uses the Planning Portal for other types. We use whichever route suits your application.

Does my village have a neighbourhood plan?

Many villages in Babergh have adopted neighbourhood plans, which carry real weight in decisions. We check for your site and design with any local policies in mind.

Benjamin Plunkett, Managing Director
Free home visit

Thinking about a project?

Ben, our Managing Director and Planning & Heritage Consultant, will come to you, look at the property and tell you honestly what's likely to get approved. Free, with no obligation, anywhere in Tendring, Babergh, Colchester, Braintree, Maldon and Ipswich districts.

Planning consultants and chartered designers in one team: drawings designed to get approved, with the same people from site visit to decision.

Book a free home visit → Call 01206 656027
📞 CallBook a free visit