Sudbury Town Council calls for ‘comprehensive plan’ at old Vanners Silk site after opposing care home scheme
A comprehensive plan is needed for a derelict silk factory site, according to Sudbury Town Council, which is now against a care home proposal for just half of the land.
The town council recommended refusal last week on revised plans to build a care facility for older people on a section of Gregory Mills – formerly the home of Vanners Silk.
Reversing its previous support for the scheme, members are now calling on Babergh District Council to produce a development plan that sets out a proactive approach for the entire site’s future.
In February, Aria Care submitted its original application for a three-storey care home on the western half of the site, at Gregory Street – while the eastern half, facing Weavers Lane, would remain as is.
At the time, the proposed facility was recommended for approval by the town council, subject to various conditions.
But, after concerns were raised by Historic England, Aria Care put forward revisions to reduce the size of the building, so as to lessen its impact on existing heritage assets in Gregory Street.
In response, however, Sudbury Town Council concluded that the revisions had not gone far enough to address those concerns, and urged Babergh District Council to call in the application for scrutiny.
At the town council planning committee meeting, it was heard that, if permission were granted for the site’s western half, it could be difficult to find an appropriate use for the eastern half.
Chartered planner and Sudbury resident Tim Brown said the care home is “being squashed into an unnecessarily small part of the site” on the Gregory Street side.
He argued that, if approved, this could create complications for any future plans for a commercial or industrial scheme on the Weavers Lane half.
“Half of the site has been left to Weavers Lane,” he told members. “In the sands of time, Weavers Lane was a mixed commercial business area.
“But, since the development of Weavers Court and Weavers Terrace, it has become predominantly residential, plus the Gainsborough’s House museum, and it’s predominantly single-access.
“The size of the employment site that has been left is such that, whatever occupation is made of it, that will add to the problem on Weavers Lane.
“In terms of its future potential for employment development, it’s always going to be constrained by the access down Weavers Lane.
“I think strongly that the site is so important, the council should be insisting on comprehensive proposals for the entire Vanners site.
“There’s an opportunity here for the council to go back and say we want to discuss a comprehensive scheme of the site.”
This view was echoed by the Sudbury Society, which stated that the plans to develop only part of the site “shouldn’t go forward, without a very good reason why it can’t be delivered as a whole”.
Gregory Mills has been vacant since 2020, as a result of its long-time occupant, Vanners Silk, going into liquidation after generations of trading in Sudbury.
Last year, Aria Care unveiled its ambitions to establish a new 24-hour facility at the site and claimed there was an overwhelmingly positive reception to the proposal in a public survey.
The home is intended to serve elderly and infirm residents, including people living with dementia, with an average age of 85 years old.
Following the recent revisions to the scheme, a statement on behalf of Aria Care insisted that the benefits of the new facility would outweigh any identified harm to the Conservation Area it sits within.
“The proposal delivers important heritage benefits, which include securing a long-term beneficial use for a vacant building, that is likely to deteriorate at an accelerated rate, without a new use that is economically viable in the long term,” the statement reads.
“The wider public benefits include the delivery of specialist care home accommodation to meet an identified need and the generation of 70 full-time jobs in a sustainable location.
“These public benefits, collectively, outweigh any less than substantial harm to heritage assets.”
However, at last week’s Sudbury Town Council meeting, Cllr Jan Osborne questioned whether a new care home was needed locally, citing the number of vacant rooms in existing facilities.
“I agree that something needs to be done with this site,” she said. “It’s an absolute eyesore.
“But that doesn’t give us the excuse to accept any application that comes forward.
“Also, if you’re building homes, you would need to establish a need, and has there been a needs survey done for whether we need a care home?
“When I go around care homes in the area, there are lots of rooms available.”
Cllr Steve Hall also argued in favour of a comprehensive site-wide development – although he added that the site would likely stay empty for longer if the care home is ultimately rejected.
“We did raise the issue before about the split development and the access issues it causes,” he said. “I’m now thinking to myself, it’s the wrong thing for the area.
“We should rip this whole thing up, have this comprehensive development plan and get everyone around the table again.
“That could be at the risk of losing an opportunity of development for a site that has been left dormant since Vanners closed its doors.”
Meanwhile, Cllr Tim Regester told the meeting that Gainsborough’s House had indicated interest in the Weavers Lane half of the site – although no formal offer had been made.
In response, Cllr Nigel Bennett, who chairs the town council’s planning committee, said: “Gainsborough’s House, as a neighbour, clearly has an interest in part of the site. But they rely on external funding. Without that, it wouldn’t go anywhere.
“On reflection, the importance of this site actually needs Babergh to consider, does this site need a comprehensive development plan for it? We’re asking the district council to reconsider.”
