Statement of Community Involvement

Housing construction

We are reviewing our Statement of Community Involvement which explains how and when people can be involved in local planning, including planning applications and neighbourhood plans.

It also includes principles we will follow in engaging on a new local plan, which will set out where new homes, jobs and infrastructure will be located. 

You can read a short summary of the Statement of Community Involvement HERE.

Please take a look at the latest consultation and leave any comments you might have about how you would like to be involved in planning. 

Please respond by 5pm on 24th February 2026.

FIND OUT MORE

East Suffolk Planning Policy Team

FoSL February: Why Not Become Our Friend?

• Tuesday, 3rd February
• Wednesday, 11th February
• Thursday, 19th February
• Friday, 27th February

10am–12noon

Speak to existing Friends to find out how being a Friend of Southwold Library is free, fun and supports your library.

Friends of Southwold Library Registered Charity No. 1163525.

Meet Local Author Writer Carsten Clovelly

Monday, 9th February, 11am Talk @ Southwold Library

Local fiction author Carsten Clovelly will talk about his novel series featuring Nathan and Moriarty. Including their visits to Southwold!

Nathan Stockwood is a middle-aged, middle of the road actor. A fundamentally decent man with a slightly flawed conscience. His overly theatrical nature and willingness to bend the rules leads him into a succession of disastrous situations. Moriarty is a vast wolfhound of regal bearing and sharp intellect. His is the thankless task of keeping Nathan out of trouble.

Free talk, no need to book.

Transport Crafts

Tuesday, 17th February, 11am and 2pm @ Southwold Library

Free crafts – no need to book

Make helicopter-, submarine-, boat- and moped-themed crafts.

Crafts provided by the Friends of Southwold Library.

Terrific Train Fun! Trainmaster Suffolk

Thursday, 19th February, 10.30am and 11.45am @ Reydon Sports and Community Centre

Miles of track and trains to play with plus ride on train and a train roller coaster!

£4 per child for 1 hour’s play!

Limited spaces. Book your place today!

• Tel: 01502 442817.
• E-mail: southwold.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk.
• Online: www.ticketsource.co.uk/southwoldlibrary.

Jeffrey Holland In Conversation With Robert Ross – Plus Afternoon Tea!

Saturday, 7th March, 3pm @ Reydon Village Hall

In tandem with the publication of his memoirs, sit-com legend Jeffrey Holland, best-loved as holiday camp comic Spike Dixon in Hi-De-Hi!, will be in conversation with Britain’s comedy historian Robert Ross.

Jeffrey will be sharing memories of working on such classic shows as Dad’s Army, Russ Abbot’s Madhouse, Are You Being Served?, You Rang, M’Lord? and Oh, Doctor Beeching!; as well as reflecting on his comedy influences and favourites, including Arthur Askey, Peter Sellers and the bowler-hatted genius who inspired his celebrated, sell-out solo show, And This is My Friend Mr Laurel. It’s laughter guaranteed!

The performance will be followed by a book signing of The First Rule of Comedy..! (published by The History Press).

Tickets are £12, including afternoon tea and are available from Southwold Library: Tel: 01502 442817; online: www.ticketsource.co.uk/southwoldlibrary.

East Suffolk Warm Welcomes Activity Afternoons

Weekdays from 2.15pm @ Southwold Library

Card games every Tuesday; Crochet and Craft every Wednesday; Rummikub first Thursday; Scrabble second Thursday; Board games third and fourth Thursday; Poetry first Friday; Mah-Jong second and fourth Friday.

Ongoing jigsaw all other afternoons.

Free hot drinks, soup and fruit all day.

East Suffolk Warm Welcomes Rummikub Klub

Thursday, 5th February from 2.15pm @ Southwold Library

Usually first Thursday.

Free hot drinks, soup and fruit all day.

East Suffolk Warm Welcomes Board Games

Third and fourth Thursdays from 2.15pm @ Southwold Library

Free hot drinks, soup and fruit all day.

East Suffolk Warm Welcomes Card Games

Tuesdays from 2.15pm @ Southwold Library

Free hot drinks, soup and fruit all day.

Southwold Community Cinema

Downton Abbey The Grand Finale (2025) 15

Drama

Wednesday 25th February, 3pm

In the summer of 1930, the Crawleys grapple with the threat of social disgrace when Mary finds herself at the centre of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble.

The Life of Chuck (2024) 15

Drama/Fantasy

Wednesday, 25th March, 3pm

From childhood to adulthood, Charles “Chuck” Krantz experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss and the multitudes contained in all of us.

The Choral (2025) 15

Drama

Wednesday, 29th April, 3pm

A choral society’s male members enlist in World War I, leaving the demanding Dr Guthrie to recruit teenagers and experience the joy of singing.

Tickets – £5 including refreshments. Book a ticket at southwoldartscentre.co.uk or visit the box office tel : 01502 722572 Southwold Arts Centre, Cumberland Road, Southwold IP18 6JP

Weigh your baby @ Southwold Library! 

• Tuesday–Friday: 10am–1pm and 2pm–6pm.

• Saturday: 9.30am–1pm and 2pm–5pm.

• Sunday: 11am–4pm.

No booking required.

Let us help you Get Connected

Every Wednesday, 10am–12noon @ Southwold Library

Need help with tech? A drop-in advice session where we can help you with things like;

• Setting up e-mail and social media accounts.

• Online shopping (Amazon, eBay and more).

• Basic support with smartphones, tablets and computers.

• Travel plans using Google Maps and similar tools.

• Staying safe online and avoiding scams.

For more information, ask Library staff or call 01502 722519; e-mail: southwold.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk.

Friends of Southwold Library 100 Club

Would you like to turn your £1 in £25 and support your library?

For just £1 a month, you could win £25 at our monthly draw.

Southwold Library 100 Club is a fundraising club and money raised will be used to support the facilities and services supplied by the Library.

*** More members = More prizes ***

Ask to join at Southwold Library today!

Southwold Library Jigsaw Swap Shop

Come and help yourself to a jigsaw at Southwold Library completely free! You can take one and return it, take one and return a different one or just take one (we have plenty).

Come and check out what we have available.

Blyth Poets – “The isle is full of voices”

Friday, 6th February, 2.15–3.30pm

A poetry group meeting at Southwold Library.

First Friday of every month.

All welcome to read or just listen.

We invite contributions of original work or well-loved poems.

Refreshment break in The Canteen

Free event, no booking required.

Mah-Jong Group

Friday, 13th and 27th February, 2.15–4.15pm

Second and fourth Friday of the month.

Can you play Mah-Jong?

Do you want to learn?

Come along and join the group at Southwold Library. £1 per person.

Scrabble Club

Thursday 12th February, 2.15pm

Second Thursday of every month.

All equipment supplied.

Refreshment break in The Canteen.

Free event, no booking required.

Crochet and Craft Club

Every Wednesday, 2.15–4pm

£2 each.

A friendly group for all crafters as well as those who crochet (to any ability). Barbara will be on hand to teach crochet beginners, add to your crochet skills or troubleshoot problems, should you want to. Or just bring along your latest craft project and work on them together.

Bring your own equipment or Barbara can supply crochet equipment at a price.

Hot drinks supplied.

Lego Club!

Sundays, 12.15–1pm

Open to kids (and adults) of all ages.

This winter, we’re building: Humongous Houses.

All donations of Lego welcome.

Free event, no booking required.

Adults: Would you like to help with Lego Club? Just ask staff.

Southwold Library Reading Group

Thursday, 26th February, 6.30pm @ Southwold Library

This month we are reading: The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier.

Pick up a book at Southwold Library.

Free event, no booking required.

Tel: 01502 722519; e-mail: southwold.library@suffolklibraries.co.uk.

Baby Bounce and Tot Rock @ Southwold Library

Every Sunday and Tuesday, 10.30–11am

Instruments, clapping, jogging and action rhymes.

For babies and toddlers of all ages.

Free event, no booking required.

The Reydon Community quiz commenced for the new year on Friday, 16th January with a loud and lively evening led by quizmaster Jim Archer. An eclectic selection of rounds included identifying the bass lines of popular songs – as played live on guitar by Jim himself! Winners were ‘Three’s Company’ with 124 points (winning for a second month in a row); in second place, ‘What the Eck’ with 118.5 points; and in third place, ‘Treacle Tarts’ with 114.5 points. As the old saying goes, a good time was had by all!

The evening raised a generous £345. Money raised this month was donated to the Voluntary Help Centre, in recognition of the huge support they provide to our community, including visits, voluntary diving and lunch club to name just some of their work. (More volunteers are always welcome, if you have the odd hour to spare!)

Amanda had received a thank you message from Reydon Christmas Lights for our donation to them in December.

With thanks to Jim, raffle helpers and everyone who supports the quiz, we look forward to seeing all the quizzers again on Friday, 20th February at Sole Bay Bowls Club. There is sometimes space for another team, so do contact me if you are interested in joining us, on ahumphry@talktalk.net.

The fascination of fungi

A hardy number of people braved the stormy wind and rain to come to our local Suffolk Wildlife Trust January meeting in Southwold. Tony Brown, a local naturalist of many years’ experience, presented a talk on the wonders of fungi. He explained that there is no scientific difference between a toadstool and a mushroom, as they are both essentially the same thing. The fungus that we see above the ground is the fruiting mechanism of the mycelium beneath, whether that is in the soil or within rotting wood. Mycelium can run considerable distances underground, and in the USA, some honey fungus mycelium has been found to be 30 miles long. No wonder it can spread so quickly.

Many fungal species have gills that store and spread the spores, but others have pores, ‘teeth’ or, as in the case of the ink cap, a cap containing spores that dissolves into a black ink, which was once used by medieval monks as a writing material.

Tony is an expert photographer, and we were treated to a fascinating visual account of the huge range of fungi, from bracket fungus to puff balls, coral tooth and dead man’s fingers: from startling whites to reds, ochres, yellows – the breadth of colours and shapes was extraordinary, and many were photographed locally. However, one rule Tony emphasised several times was never to eat any fungus unless you are completely certain of its identity. The deathcap is as deadly as it sounds!

We all enjoyed such a visual presentation, and it certainly encourages us to observe our natural surroundings more carefully.

Our next meeting is on Thursday, 12th February, at 7.30pm, at the Southwold Arts Centre IP18 6JP, when Martin Tickler will talk about ‘House Martins’. Entrance is £5, to include refreshment. Under 25s are free and it is open to everyone.

Contact us at swtblythvalley@gmail.com.

Penny Mansfield