A DERELICT and vandalised Ipswich pub could be redeveloped into housingThe former Churchills pub in Bramford Road could be demolished and turned into 22 flats set over up to four storeys.

A DERELICT and vandalised Ipswich pub could be redeveloped into housing

The former Churchills pub in Bramford Road could be demolished and turned into 22 flats set over up to four storeys.

People living near to the pub have welcomed the proposals after it went up in flames last year and subsequently acted as a magnet for youngsters and vandals.

The building would have lots of roofs at differing angles and an arch in Adair Road leading to a car park at the back.

Ipswich Borough Council has also welcomed the regeneration of a known problem spot.

Steve Miller, planning control manager for the borough council, said: “Any redevelopment will help regenerate the area. We certainly want to encourage regeneration.”

But the application has been met with mixed feeling from nearby residents.

Brian Ward, 71, of Bramford Road, said: “We would certainly welcome its demolition. It's been vandalised and people have tried to set it alight. There are broken windows and smoke marks all around.

“It's been derelict for a long while so I think the temptation might be to approve the first thing that comes along, but we must resist that temptation. It's a landmark building.

“What they propose is totally alien to the area. They are trying to push too many people into the site and the rooflines point in all different directions. I think a good guide would be for it to be no higher than the present building.

“Whether it would help with the problems would depend on what type of people come and live there.”

Mandy King, 31, of Henniker Road, Ipswich, said: “Anything would be better than what we've got. It's an absolute eyesore at the moment. I think it would help the problem of vandalism.

“But I don't know if we need any more flats - there are far too many sitting empty. We need more facilities such as doctors, shops, dentists and schools rather than flats.”

The planning application is likely to be considered next month.

Do you think the redevelopment would help the area? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

BACKGROUND PANEL with file pic of pub

The pub closed more than a year ago but was burned out by arsonists last summer.

Residents in the area complained to police about gangs of youngsters hanging around the derelict building, drinking and getting involved in anti-social behaviour.

In August more than 70 neighbours packed into a public meeting at Bramford Road's Sikh temple in a plea for help to resolve the problems in the Adair and Henniker Road areas.