THE economic news might be grim with Britain in the middle of a double-dip recession and fears about the Euro, but all around the town there are small signs of recovery.
Today, key figures have welcomed the development boost in the town and are excited for the future, hoping that Ipswich will be a beacon for a country looking for a way out of the deepest recession to hit the world since the early 1930s.
Around the town’s Waterfront, in particular things, are stirring.
Ipswich MP Ben Gummer said the signs of life at the Waterfront, and elsewhere in the town, were an indication that the local economy is improving.
He said: “If you look at what is happening in the Waterfront and elsewhere in the town with things like the London Road/Yarmouth Road development [where there are plans to build a pub], then business is helping to bring the first signs of a recovery to Ipswich.
“And of course there is much more to come – work should start on the big Tesco development in Grafton Way later this year and that will be good for the town as well.”
Work is already well under way on the new business park on Ransomes Way which will include the John Lewis At Home/Waitrose superstores.
Ipswich Borough Council leader David Ellesmere said: “As a new resident of the Waterfront (I work for hi-tech company HTK) I have seen at first-hand the very welcome improvements that are going on there.
“This is good news indeed and we are pleased that our Waterfront will be showcased this year not only by the arrival of the Olympic torch but also by the Maritime Ipswich Festival and the start of the 2012 Tour of Britain cycle race. The council and firms like HTK welcome this activity and look forward to more in the future.”
Meanwhile there are still hopes that work could resume on completing the Regatta Quay/Mill developments as the finishing touches are put to a masterplan for the site.
The future of the “wine rack” element of Regatta Quay, though, remains uncertain, as it enters its third summer as an unfinished concrete monument to the world recession.
n Do you feel the town is on the up? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or you can e-mail starletters@archant.co.uk
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