DETAILS of proposals for a major development on Ipswich Waterfront are due to be settled on Wednesday.That should allow work to start on partial demolition of Pauls Maltings before it is redeveloped as flats, shops, offices, cafés and a new theatre for the Red Rose Chain.

DETAILS of proposals for a major development on Ipswich Waterfront are due to be settled on Wednesday.

That should allow work to start on partial demolition of Pauls Maltings before it is redeveloped as flats, shops, offices, cafés and a new theatre for the Red Rose Chain.

Essex-based Knight Development is set to get the go-ahead for the major development which is next to Cranfield's mill sit where demolition work has just started.

The demolition at Pauls is expected to take four months to complete - and once the buildings, including the huge 1950s silo, have been cleared rebuilding will start.

The original Victorian maltings will be retained as the centrepiece of the development, which will also include a 14-storey tower block.

There will be a total of 281 flats, the first of which are expected to be completed by the end of 2007.

The heart of the building, which dates from 1879, will be retained - keeping the distinctive frontage on to the Ipswich Wet Dock.

The developers will provide 25 per cent of the homes to be affordable, through the Flagship housing association, but some of these are likely to be built on another site nearby.

And the developer will also pay £320,000 to the county council to help pay for extensions to local schools to help fund extensions as a result of the increased population in the town centre.

There will also be improvements to Key Street, increasing the width of pavements - as well as new paving along the waterfront itself.