Thurston
In June 2025, the Planning & Infrastructure Committee adopted a revised Parish Infrastructure and Investment Plan (PIIP).
Engagement over the revised PIIP
A PIIP should be evidence-based, identifying current/existing infrastructure, and assessing the impact of new development on this infrastructure. This process will also identify gaps in infrastructure provision and provide an audit timeline of works that have been previously identified to address the impact of development on the area.
As infrastructure investment decisions affect all members of a community, the parish council will be making efforts over the coming months to engage with as many people as possible to ensure that the PIIP remains a reliable tool for decision-making.
How and where should the PIIP be published?
The PIIP is published above on the Parish Council website and a hard copy can be made available for those without internet access. A copy of the PIIP has also been sent to the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Infrastructure Team.
Monitoring the PIIP
A PIIP is expected to be evidence-based, identifying current/existing infrastructure, and assessing the impact of new development on this infrastructure. Sometimes this process can also identify gaps in infrastructure provision, for example identified growth in the numbers young or older people but a lack of facilities for them locally.
As infrastructure investment decisions affect all members of a community, the parish council has made and will continue to make efforts to engage as many people as possible in the processes of reviewing and monitoring the plan.
So that the PIIP remains a reliable tool for decision-making, and is able to be responsive to changes in development and infrastructure, it will be reviewed on a regular basis.
PIIP Timelines
In May 2025, the newly formed Planning & Infrastructure Committee received the first draft of the revised PIIP. Work on revising this document is ongoing and, once completed, will be submitted to a round of community engagement to ensure that the gaps and / or deficits identified by the infrastructure audit are fully explored and weighted in terms of importance to the community of Thurston.
In 2024, the Parish Council tasked the then Planning Committee to commence a review of the adopted PIIP to ensure that the investment priorities and audit infrastructure were still relevant to the community.
In 2019, the Parish Council produced a Parish Infrastructure Investment Plan (PIIP) which was used to inform the Parish Council’s spending decisions.
Background Documents
To enable the Parish Council to review the provision of play and leisure facilities in Thurston, the Council commissioned Ethos Environmental Planning to produce an Open Space and Play Strategy which will inform it in its decision-making process in relation to open space and leisure and recreational facilities required for the parish of Thurston. A copy of this report can be found using this link.
The above work builds on from the open space study commissioned by Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils. This work has been reviewed and both Districts have updated their Leisure, Sport and Physical Activity (LSPA) Strategy adopted in 2017 and feeds into the Councils Communities Strategy.
A link to the Communities Strategy for Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils can be found here.
Babergh and Mid Suffolk's Wellbeing Strategy has an overarching vision to: 'build great communities with bright and healthy futures that everyone is proud to call home'. Wellbeing is one of six key overlapping and intertwined priorities to help deliver this vision.
Read their Wellbeing Strategy (2021).
Their Leisure, Sport and Physical Activity Strategy has been developed as a result of our strategic review of: existing leisure services; local sports and recreational infrastructure partnerships across the districts of Babergh and Mid Suffolk. The strategy identifies future needs, trends and opportunities to support an increasing ageing population to lead a more active lifestyle.
