A public exhibition will give local residents Ipswich residents the opportunity to view and comment on McCarthy and Stone’s preliminary proposals to redevelop land between Lower Brook Street and Turret Lane.

Ipswich Star: 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich. Development plans are going out for consutation30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich. Development plans are going out for consutation (Image: Archant)

The site is currently the home of Archant, who have been producing the East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star from these premises since the 1960s.

Archant are planning to move their operations to new, refurbished offices in Portman House, Princes Street.

McCarthy and Stone’s plans seek to develop this site with Retirement Living apartments and cottages specifically designed to meet the needs of people in later life.

Nearly 2,000 local people have been invited to the public exhibition, which marks the next stage of consultation following earlier meetings with council officers, elected representatives and immediate neighbours of the site.

Ipswich Star: Portman House is looking good...Portman House is looking good... (Image: Archant)

McCarthy and Stone’s plans are still at a preliminary stage and no planning application has been submitted.

The public exhibition will be held on Thursday September 8 at Dance East, Jerwood DanceHouse in Foundry Lane, from 3pm to 7pm.

Mark Wright, regional managing director at McCarthy and Stone said: “We want to hear from the local community and our future home-owners before we finalise our plans. We will be displaying our preliminary plans and ideas at a public exhibition where our project team will be on hand to answer

questions and listen to feedback on what we have done so far. The comments we receive will help us tailor and refine our proposals.”

He continued: “Our proposal provides an important opportunity to regenerate this brownfield site

and deliver a sensitively-designed, high-quality development that will significantly improve the

housing choices for older people in Ipswich.”

McCarthy and Stone believes the development of the site offers an important opportunity to provide much needed specialist retirement accommodation. The local over 65s population is predicted to rise by 54% over the next 20 years.

Independent academic research has shown that almost 80% of McCarthy and Stone homeowners shop locally at least once a week and the company estimates this would translate into £670,000 of spending in Ipswich’s economy annually.