Plans for a multi-storey car park in a key Ipswich street have moved a step closer, after architects and engineers have been agreed.
Ipswich Borough Council has been pursuing plans to build a multi-storey in Portman Road for months, and is understood to be a key part of its plan to meet parking demands up to 2036.
The authority currently owns four car parks in Portman Road, largely used by staff at firms along the Princes Street and Civic Drive corridors, and is likely to be build on one or more of those plots.
A spokesman from Ipswich Borough Council said: "This is another step forward in our proposals to build a multi-storey car park in Portman Road to serve the growing demand around the commercial hub in Princes Street and the town centre as well as its proximity to the railway station.
"We will be working with architects and engineers on these proposals and hope to prepare more detailed plans during next year."
Council officers awarded three contracts last week for the next stage of the project, which will lead to work on a full planning application expected sometime next year.
Allman Woodcock Ltd have been appointed for employer agent and quantity surveying services at a cost of £34,000; KLH Architects won the bid for designing the new car park at a cost of £29,750; and JP Chick and Partners will be the structural engineers at a cost of £19,500.
No firm timeline has been disclosed on when a full planning application will be submitted, or how much the whole project is anticipated to cost.
It is anticipated that the new facility would include provision for electric car charging.
In July last year, Ipswich Borough Council opened the £5.5million Crown Car Park on land behind Crown Pools, six months later than anticipated.
While car parks in Ipswich run by the borough council are largely cheaper than those run by private firms such as NCP, the new car park still missed its income targets fir the first 12 months by £286,000, according to Freedom of Information figures.
The council also opened a temporary car park in Princes Street on the site of the former Drum and Monkey pub.
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