Ipswich borough is expected to get planning permission to build 17 new council homes on the site of the former Gospel Hall in Cauldwell Hall Road.

The site already has planning permission for 16 homes – 15 three-bedroomed houses and a bungalow – which would have been built for the open market.

But now the borough has put in an application for 17 new council houses instead – and officers are recommending that the proposal is approved by the authority’s planning and development committee next week.

The officers’ report says the development would be appropriate for the size of the land – and that the homes would have rear gardens that offered residents a degree of privacy.

It is also within walking distance of local shops and other services in Woodbridge Road and in Spring Road. The application includes parking for 21 cars for residents of the homes.