An industrial park in Suffolk has been given the go-ahead, despite councillors' fears about traffic problems.

Councillors approved a planning application for Interchange 55, an industrial and business park off the A14 in Sproughton.

The recommendation to accept the application was passed by seven votes to four, with those objecting wishing to defer for more information about the impact on traffic used by motorists coming to and from Hadleigh, among other areas..

A representative from Building Partnerships Ltd, joint applicants with Poplar Holdings Ltd, said: "I think everybody is aware there's a shortage of employment sites across the eastern region.

"This site has not been advertised to potential occupiers. However, they have come forward and we now have more potential occupiers than we could fit on the land available.

"We have a deadline of 2025 for completion, but we intend to finish this development in 2024."

Seed and plant company Thompson and Morgan, which already has a building to the north of the proposed development, is among those expressing interest in a proportion of the site – along with Suffolk County Council.

The officers' report sets out expectations for 500 jobs to be created once the industrial park is built, and explains local employees will be supported by frequent bus services to the nearby park and ride and Tesco.

Another development of 750 homes is planned to the north of Interchange 55, also off the A14. There is a nearby retail park, Copdock Interchange, with a Tesco and plans for a new 24-hour McDonalds.

Vehicles would access the site via the London Road, the roundabouts on Scrivener Drive and by the retail park, and a planned junction to the site and the nearby park and ride. Some councillors did not feel these access points were appropriate.

Cllr David Busby, who represents Copdock and Washbrook, said: "I'm not convinced this is the right solution for this site.

"I think we all want to see employment here – it's a good site for that. But we have to take account of the issues.

"It's going to be marginally better for traffic to come out of Wolsey Grange's new entrance than from a retail park.

"I would propose that we defer this until we've had opportunity to talk to Taylor Wimpey about access and until we have seen a traffic model that shows the junctions can take the additional traffic from all new developments."

Cllr Busby's recommendation to defer was lost by four votes to seven. The same four who voted for this objected to the final vote to approve the application: Cllrs John Hinton, Leigh Jamieson, Alison Owen and Busby.

Peninsula councillors Alastair McCraw and Mary McLaren were among the seven that voted in favour.

Cllr Peter Beer echoed other councillors against the deferral when he said: "We shouldn't defer this and we have a duty to get this sorted.

"We are always told highways officers are experts, so we've got to accept what they're saying."

Highways officers accepted the proposal would cause a "significant" impact on the Scrivener Drive roundabout, but believed this would not be "severe" and therefore was not grounds to object.

In response to the decision to approve, Cllr Leigh Jamieson, ward member for South East Cosford, which includes Aldham and Elmsett, said: "I was disappointed to see that a number of members, who probably rarely use the Copdock junction, approved the application with little thought to the increased congestion it is going to cause in the area.

"The Copdock interchange and Scrivener Drive roundabouts are already at a standstill many times a day. With the Wolsey Grange development adding to this, it is only going to get worse.

"To now approve the movement of potentially hundreds of HGVs a day via the park and ride roundabout is madness.

"Unfortunately, members – with no thought whatsoever for the long-suffering residents of Pinewood – were not even prepared to defer this application to review the options."