NEW warehouse shops and leisure activities are today on their way for Felixstowe – and set to bring a jobs boost to the resort.It will bring into use land which for a decade has stood empty but with permission for development.

NEW warehouse shops and leisure activities are today on their way for Felixstowe - and set to bring a jobs boost to the resort.

It will bring into use land which for a decade has stood empty but with permission for development.

Property developer Tribecka Land has bought land at the Haven Exchange site opposite Dock Gate One and is planning a mixed-use scheme with retail and leisure space in addition to the existing office park and McDonald's restaurant.

The site has had planning consent for some 45,000 sq ft of warehouse, non-food shops since 1995.

Neil Turvey, managing director for Tribecka Land, said the site, which has a substantial development value, was attracting considerable attention from potential tenants with a number of familiar national names strongly interested, which could signal the creation of a significant number of new jobs for the area.

"To attract interest from tenants of this calibre is great news for Felixstowe and confirms confidence in the area's commercial property market," he said.

"Having laid dormant for ten years this site is now ripe for development.

"The location is excellent with easy access to the major routes into Felixstowe, to and from the town centre, being ideally situated to serve residents in the town."

Mr Turvey said a detailed planning application would be shortly submitted to Suffolk Coastal council and it was hoped construction could start later this year.

He said Tribecka had been particularly active in the East Anglian property market during the last 18 months and the Felixstowe investment follows successful completion of three projects at Parkeston Quay in Harwich.

These were sale of land to Lidl GmbH for a new food store, a sale to Whitbread plc for a new Brewers Fayre restaurant and 44-bedroom Travel Inn hotel, and sale of a one-acre retail development site to London based Regional Investments.

Previous owners of the Haven Exchange site in Walton Avenue struggled to develop the land, partly because there have been restrictions on 24-hour operation of the site and on the types of uses.

Proposals for a hotel and housing have been turned down because it falls inside the evacuation area for the Felixstowe Calor Gas Plant.

It was unsuitable for housing because it was isolated from the town with poor access to schools, shops, leisure facilities and doctors

Councillors have also been keen to retain the site for employment - either port-related industry or some alternative to reduce reliance on the shipping industry.

Part of the site has been developed with a McDonald's restaurant and drive in, Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall, and two office headquarters.

The land was earmarked in the 1960s and 70s for a theme park, and was one of the dump sites for spoil from the creation of the A14 dock spur.