A four-storey health and care teaching centre which will provide students with "real life scenario spaces" to learn has been approved.

Ipswich Borough Council's planning committee unanimously approved the plans by Suffolk New College on Wednesday, calling it a "welcome development" of the town's educational offering.

The college submitted plans to create the centre and motorcycle and scooter parking area on the corner of Dove Street and Rope Walk.

Councillor Colin Kreidewolf said: “This will be an excellent addition to the facilities offered by Suffolk New College, and the growing campus alongside the university.

This will supplement the planned Integrated Care Academy at the university, and provide training for the significant number of people required in our care and healthcare system.”

The proposed building would be four storeys high, with its highest roof measuring 11.2m, with the majority of the build at 8.6m.

The new build will feature a nursery, classrooms, staff room, IT facilities, three-bed hospital ward, occupational therapy space and laboratories across three floors.

It will sit opposite the college’s newly-opened tech centre, and features a similar design.

Ben Elvin, planning agent for the college, said it would “provide real life scenario spaces so nurses and students get the opportunity to learn and be trained in real life scenarios as close as you can get."

Mr Elvin said research by the college indicated there would be a strong take-up of those courses, and “shows what we believe is Suffolk New College’s commitment to the town and regeneration of that area.”

In the planning documents, the college wanted to secure relocation of the parking where there is better natural surveillance and reduce potential conflict between riders and pedestrians.

Ward councillor John Cook said it would “lift that area considerably” and described the nearby former county council social club which remains derelict and overgrown as “a disgrace”.

The college has confirmed that an underutilised part of its existing campus will be used for motorcycle and scooter parking, with planning conditions requiring that to be in place before work on the health and care building begins.