IPSWICH town centre's largest car park needs £2.3 million spent on it to keep it open for another five years, The Evening Star can reveal today.Councillors are set to approve the repairs which will begin in April next year at an executive meeting next week.

IPSWICH town centre's largest car park needs £2.3 million spent on it to keep it open for another five years, The Evening Star can reveal today.

Councillors are set to approve the repairs which will begin in April next year at an executive meeting next week.

At the end of the five year period the park is likely to have to be demolished - but by then new car parks should have been opened in the town.

A full survey of the 1,000-space car park has recently been completed by consultants Maddocks Lusher and Matthews (MLM).

That found serious problems at the 1974-built park that need prompt attention if the building is not to face rapid closure.

Their solutions ranged from minimal repairs, which would cost £1.38 million but could see the car pack close in two years, to rebuilding the car park on the present site which would cost £10.5 million but would last for an estimated 50 years.

In a report to the committee, officers say that the car park provision in the town centre is currently under investigation.

They say that with new parks possibly being built at the Mint Quarter and on the Civic Centre site within the next few years, the Crown Street site may be better for redevelopment.

However at present it is a vital car park for the town - and steps must be taken to ensure it remains open in the medium term.

The cost of repairs includes £670,000 which would need to be put aside at the end of the five-year period to pay for its demolition.

The recommended repairs would take three to four months to complete. The car park could remain open, but areas would be closed while the work was undertaken.

There would also need to be regular inspections of the building to ensure it had not deteriorated any further.