About us - our history and our aims
The Society is a charitable association of people who love Aldeburgh and want the town to flourish. We aim to improve the built and natural environment, campaign against damaging development, and promote the wellbeing of the local population.
WHO ARE WE?
Membership is open to all residents of the area, holiday homers and business owners. The subscription is £10 per year payable by card or direct debit. We work through a Committee elected at the annual general meeting, which is open to all members. We strive for as diverse a membership as possible drawing from all parts of the town.
We fully respect the roles of the democratically elected town, district and county councils and seek to influence their decision-making and services as these affect our town.
WHAT DO WE DO?
We monitor all planning applications and express views to the town council and the district council planning authority. We support good modern architecture and respect for historic settings. We also monitor national infrastructure projects affecting our area and work with partners in opposing unsuitable plans and seeking proper mitigation for any unavoidable damage to the area.
We take up issues raised by our members and seek solutions. We also run a popular series of talks on a wide range of topics of local interest, which are open to both members and non-members.
WHAT HAVE WE ACHIEVED?
The Society has been in operation for over 50 years and has carried out numerous projects including tree-planting, sponsorship of environmental improvements, and campaigning efforts. In recent years we have:-
WHAT DO WE SEE AS ALDEBURGH’S FUTURE?
Aldeburgh is a unique seaside town with a proud history and a strong appeal to visitors. Set in a unique coastal and estuary landscape, it has a vibrant high street with many independent shops, restaurants, pubs, and cafés. There is a lively arts scene flowing from its special location and its place as the home of Benjamin Britten. It is blessed with a fine independent cinema and a refurbished Jubilee Hall arts venue, and the world famous Snape Maltings home of the Aldeburgh Festival is only minutes away. Extensive sports facilities, notable sailing and golf clubs, a large community centre, and a range of year-round cultural and special events complete the picture.
Aldeburgh is now threatened as never before by large national infrastructure projects and by the impact of climate change. In order to flourish the town must maintain its power of attraction to visitors in the face of the traffic and pollution problems arising from the energy projects. This will demand a clear vision of the best way forward for the town and a determination for public services, private enterprise, and community organisations to work in unison to promote Aldeburgh’s unique character
WHO ARE WE?
Membership is open to all residents of the area, holiday homers and business owners. The subscription is £10 per year payable by card or direct debit. We work through a Committee elected at the annual general meeting, which is open to all members. We strive for as diverse a membership as possible drawing from all parts of the town.
We fully respect the roles of the democratically elected town, district and county councils and seek to influence their decision-making and services as these affect our town.
WHAT DO WE DO?
We monitor all planning applications and express views to the town council and the district council planning authority. We support good modern architecture and respect for historic settings. We also monitor national infrastructure projects affecting our area and work with partners in opposing unsuitable plans and seeking proper mitigation for any unavoidable damage to the area.
We take up issues raised by our members and seek solutions. We also run a popular series of talks on a wide range of topics of local interest, which are open to both members and non-members.
WHAT HAVE WE ACHIEVED?
The Society has been in operation for over 50 years and has carried out numerous projects including tree-planting, sponsorship of environmental improvements, and campaigning efforts. In recent years we have:-
- made cash grants for a range of local initiatives and launched a small grants scheme for environmental improvements by householders and businesses;
- played an active role in mounting successful opposition to unsuitable development at the Brick Dock on the Alde river;
- successfully campaigned, with the town council, for the creation of the town centre conservation area and its later extension;
- fed in views about the content of the East Suffolk Local Plan and initiated thinking about the need for a Neighbourhood Plan to take forward implementation of the Town Plan issued in 2015;
- actively engaged with the national infrastructure planning process in relation to Sizewell C, the offshore windfarms, and electricity grid reinforcement projects, highlighting the threats arising from the construction of these large installations in a fragile, largely rural coastal area dependent on a vibrant visitor economy;
- drawn up proposals for environmental improvements in the town centre and other necessary infrastructure projects for action by the district and county councils;
- used a generous legacy to promote the innovative Aldeburgh Town Map located by the Thorpe Road car park, now to be replicated by the town council in the town centre;
- refurbished the historic town pump by the Town Steps;
- relaunched a project to restore the historic fishing boats on the beach;
- campaigned for easier access to the beach for mobility scooters and pushchairs.
WHAT DO WE SEE AS ALDEBURGH’S FUTURE?
Aldeburgh is a unique seaside town with a proud history and a strong appeal to visitors. Set in a unique coastal and estuary landscape, it has a vibrant high street with many independent shops, restaurants, pubs, and cafés. There is a lively arts scene flowing from its special location and its place as the home of Benjamin Britten. It is blessed with a fine independent cinema and a refurbished Jubilee Hall arts venue, and the world famous Snape Maltings home of the Aldeburgh Festival is only minutes away. Extensive sports facilities, notable sailing and golf clubs, a large community centre, and a range of year-round cultural and special events complete the picture.
Aldeburgh is now threatened as never before by large national infrastructure projects and by the impact of climate change. In order to flourish the town must maintain its power of attraction to visitors in the face of the traffic and pollution problems arising from the energy projects. This will demand a clear vision of the best way forward for the town and a determination for public services, private enterprise, and community organisations to work in unison to promote Aldeburgh’s unique character