Updates for Wednesday, 23 March 2016
News, sport, weather and travel updates resume at 08:00 on Thursday
Steve Blower
BBC Radio Suffolk
Babergh District councillors have backed plans for 144 new homes in East Bergholt.
They voted nine to five in favour of the scheme, despite some strong local opposition against the housing.
The development is planned for land off Moore's Lane.
Kelly McCormack
BBC Radio Suffolk
The delayed Hinkley Point nuclear power station will definitely go ahead, the head of French giant EDF has assured MPs today.
The chief executive of the firm insisted confidence in the £18bn project does remain.
Any reactor in Somerset will come before the development of Sizewell C. A final investment decision on Hinkley Point is expected in May.
Bury Town missed out on a return to the Suffolk Premier Cup final after a narrow 3-2 defeat to Lowestoft Town last night, external.
Image source, Bury Free PressIf you're just joining us, here's what's happening in the news this lunchtime:
Kelly McCormack
BBC Radio Suffolk
Police say they will investigate all reports of road rage, after it was revealed the number of incidents in Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft and Ipswich had risen 30% in the past year.
Acting insp Julian Ditcham said: "Things that we would require are indexes of the vehicles involved, perhaps descriptions of the driver, whether it's a male or female, and so on. There's no guarantee of the end result.
"But as long as we do the best investigation that we possibly can, get to the end result which is hopefully prosecute the driver for a driving offence, or any offence that's been committed, that's got to be seen as positive."
Claire Marshall
Environment correspondent, BBC News
The ash tree is likely to be wiped out in Europe, according to the largest-ever survey of the species.
Image source, PAThe trees are being killed off by the fungal disease ash-dieback along with an invasive beetle called the emerald ash borer.
The disease was identified in England in 2012 in a consignment of imported infected trees. It has since spread from Norfolk and Suffolk to South Wales.
The paper says that the ash will most likely be "eliminated" in Europe.
Here's the news from the East Anglian Daily Times, external today:
Image source, East Anglian Daily Times
Jodie Smith
BBC News
A minute's silence is to be held this morning to remember the victims of yesterday's explosions at Brussels Airport and Maelbeek metro station, which killed more than 30 people and injured about 250.
At 11:00 (midday Belgian time), we'll be observing the silence here on our live page.
Image source, AFPBelgium is observing three days of national mourning following the bombings, which so-called Islamic State claims it was behind.
James Vince replaced injured opener Alex Hales and Liam Plunkett came in for fellow seamer Reece Topley, external for England's World Twenty20 clash with Afghanistan in Delhi.
Image source, Newmarket Journal
Steve Martin
BBC Radio Suffolk
So many people have turned up for today's planning meeting in Hadleigh that a second room has had to be opened up.
Around 80 people protesting plans for 144 homes in East Bergholt will be able to hear proceedings, but not see what's going on.
Luke Deal
BBC Radio Suffolk
I've been to East Bergholt and heard how strongly people feel about proposals to build 144 new homes in the village.
Protester Peter Dent, chairman of Action East Bergholt, told me: "I don't think anybody minds new developments and new houses being built, what everybody is against is a development of almost 150 homes on the edge of John Constable heritage village. It is totally disproportionate.
"It's not a lot of homes on the edge of a town, it's a lot on the edge of a small village, and people are concerned about the infrastructure, the schools, the safety on the roads."
Patrick Byrne
BBC News
Opposition is growing to devolution of powers to an elected mayor overseeing transport and strategic planning in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
Councillors from the three counties are meeting today to discuss the issues involved after Cambridgeshire County Council called for more consultation, Cambridge City Council expressed reservations and the leader of Norwich City Council said an elected mayor was a threat to local democracy.
Alan Waters, leader at Norwich, said he had signed the deal but had "grave reservations" about an elected mayor, which was the "antithesis of local democracy".
Steve Martin
BBC Radio Suffolk
Tourism would be affected by new homes and businesses proposed for 18 acres of land off Moore's Lane in East Bergholt, campaigners say.
More than 400 objections have been sent to Babergh District Council, many of which say the development is too big for the village to cope with. They also say the development could impact on Bergholt as a tourist destination for people visiting the landscape which inspired artist John Constable.
Councillors are being recommended to grant permission for the 144 new homes, provided the developer agrees to provide affordable accommodation and contribute to the cost of extra school places and road improvements.
Andrew Woodger
BBC News
Residents of painter John Constable's home village of East Bergholt will find out later if 144 new homes are to be built there.
Babergh District Council, external is voting on whether to approve Knight Development Ltd, external's scheme.
Many in the village do not want it to grow by that much, but council officers are recommending it gets planning approval.
Kelly McCormack
BBC Radio Suffolk
There has been a 30% rise in road rage incidents in Suffolk's three largest towns in a year.
A Freedom of Information request by BBC Radio Suffolk shows there were 83 cases reported to police in Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich in 2014. Last year that rose to 109.
The most 'road rage-inducing street' in the county last year was Museum Street in Ipswich, with 10 recorded incidents. Police only started collating figures in November 2013.
Mark Williamson
BBC Local Live
It is time for "negotiation", according to the leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, after councillors voted to reject the East Anglian devolution deal "in its current form".
The deal unveiled in last week's Budget said Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire would get an elected mayor with powers over transport and planning.
Conservative leader Steve Count said: "It's now a matter of finding out what parts of the deal are completely unpalatable to government to change, completely unpalatable to county councillors and where there is room for negotiation."
We're waiting for a response from councils in Norfolk and Suffolk over where they feel this leaves devolution plans for East Anglia.
Here's the news from the Ipswich Star, external this morning:
Image source, Ipswich Star
Kate Williams
BBC Local Live
Labour MEP Richard Howitt, who was "locked in" at the European Parliament for most of the day yesterday after the Brussels bombings, has spoken of his relief at returning home safely last night to be greeted by his 12-year-old son.
Mr Howitt said MEPs were allowed out of the European Parliament at about 17:00 yesterday, with several making their way to Amsterdam for flights back to the UK.
"I walked into my house around 11 o'clock last night," he said. "My 12-year-old had waited up and gave me a big cuddle, and that was probably my best moment of the day."
Brenner Woolley
BBC Radio Suffolk sport
An extra time winner from Michael Spillane has guided Lowestoft Town, external through to the final of this season's Suffolk Premier Cup.
Image source, Lowestoft Town FCThe defender struck in the 111th minute of last night's 3-2 win over Bury Town, external at Needham Market's Bloomfields ground.
The Trawler Boys will now play Leiston, external in the final in early May at a neutral venue, yet to be confirmed.
Kate Williams
BBC Local Live
Labour MEP Richard Howitt, who used the underground station just a few minutes before the bomb went off in Brussels yesterday, has described what happened in the hours afterwards.
He said: "The rest of the day was very disrupted but I continued with meetings as did several of my colleagues, and we tried to show defiance. We wouldn't let democracy be stopped by terrorism.
"Getting out of the building was impossible, it was a lockdown. Looking outside of the windows, the streets were completely empty, and at the entrance to the parliament, you could just see a line of armed soldiers."
