ONE of Ipswich's most famous companies could soon be leaving the town after Peter's Ice Cream today announced plans to relocate to Needham Market.After nearly 70 years of producing ice cream at their Grimwade Street headquarters, plans are now afoot to relocate to larger premises on the Lion Barn industrial estate.

ONE of Ipswich's most famous companies could soon be leaving the town after Peter's Ice Cream today announced plans to relocate to Needham Market.

After nearly 70 years of producing ice cream at their Grimwade Street headquarters, plans are now afoot to relocate to larger premises on the Lion Barn industrial estate.

The business has been based in Ipswich for its entire 105-year history but Mid Suffolk district council today confirmed that they have received a planning application for the move.

Company owner Kevin Denny believes the move is necessary to keep the business alive.

He said: "The move is costing several hundred thousand pounds but we have got to do it to keep the business alive.

"We are very sad to be leaving Grimwade Street but the area has been very run down in recent years and we haven't got enough space to do what we want to do.

"There are very few places for us left to go in Ipswich. We don't want the business to close but we need to make it pay."

The site of the new factory was formerly occupied by the Key and Pell haulage company, who are planning to move to another site on the industrial estate.

Peter's Ice Cream hopes to reintroduce their popular factory tours if planning permission for their new site is granted. They have already received in excess of 200 inquiries from people interested in completing the tour.

Mr Denny, who has worked at the company for 30 years, said: "They have proved to be very popular in the past. People will get the opportunity to watch the ice cream being made and they also get the chance to make some themselves as well."

Although the company is now hoping to take a step into the future, it still prides itself on using the same ice cream making methods used in 1897.

Mr Denny, who took over the running of the company in 1995, said: "We are a household name and, by bringing the business to a rural area like Needham Market, we hope it will bring in a lot more passing trade from people visiting for the factory tour.

"But we still wanted to retain a link with Ipswich and not move too far away. In future we will probably be known as Peter's Ice Cream of Suffolk, rather than Peter's Ice Cream of Ipswich."

The planning proposal is currently at the public consultation stage and a decision on whether to accept it is due to be made by the end of the year.