A BLUEPRINT for major development across Waveney over the next 20 years is being unveiled today with suggested sites for a new cemetery, primary school and sports pitches.

A BLUEPRINT for major development across Waveney over the next 20 years is being unveiled today with suggested sites for a new cemetery, primary school and sports pitches.

About 2,500 new homes are expected to be built across the district by 2025 - with about 74pc planned for Lowestoft - and as well as homes, Waveney District Council's new plans include proposed sites for rugby and football pitches, village greens and a new crematorium.

The council has now selected its favoured sites in and around Lowestoft, Southwold, Reydon and Halesworth and a two month public consultation period starts today so that a new local development framework can be drawn up.

A new one-stop community service centre is proposed for land at Dairy Farm off Saxon's Way in Halesworth and new playing field space could be created in nearby Holton.

The development plan report said: “A need for new community facilities has been identified in Halesworth. This includes a community hall to replace the existing Rifle Hall and a one-stop shop to provide a central location for the provision of services in the area.”

The major plans for Lowestoft include a primary school on Millennium Way to serve the Parkhill estate and new pitches and a clubhouse for Lowestoft and Yarmouth rugby club either at Dip Farm, off Corton Road, or at Corton Long Lane.

Lowestoft's Town Hall and the council offices on Mariners Street and Clapham Road could be converted into two complexes of housing, office and retail space, and the CEFAS laboratory in Pakefield Road could also make way for about 38 houses.

One of the biggest developments for Lowestoft could be a new cemetery and crematorium, proposed for agricultural land south of the Morrisons supermarket in Gisleham.

In Kessingland - the largest village in the area - the council's proposals include using the old Ashley garden centre site on London Road for a new community building and also creating new playing fields at Laurel Farm, London Road.

For Southwold and the neighbouring village of Reydon, the council's development plan report said: “The preferred options seek to increase the provision of local services, including improved playing field provision, additional employment land, health facilities and community buildings, and a new publicly accessible village green for Reydon.”

The scheme includes using land at Eversley playing field in Wangford Road, Reydon, as a village green or to make space for a new shop and, if it is approved by Yarmouth and Waveney Primary Care Trust, a new healthy living centre and doctor's surgery.

In addition, four affordable homes are proposed for land between Station Road and Rope Walk in Southwold, while new industrial units are suggested for land off Fountain Way in Reydon.

The full documents are available via www.edp24.co.uk/dailylinks and consultation for Lowestoft, Southwold, Reydon and Halesworth closes on January 12 2009. The council's development plans for Beccles and Bungay were published at the end of October and consultation on them ends on Friday December 12.