A NEW £70million business park for Suffolk would cement Ipswich's position as one of the world's leading locations for the communications industry, it has been claimed.

A NEW £70million business park for Suffolk would cement Ipswich's position as one of the world's leading locations for the communications industry, it has been claimed.

Suffolk county councillors will next week decide whether to back the major project, led by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and proposed for Martlesham Heath.

The science-based development, known as the Suffolk Innovation Park, would sit on 350,000 square feet of land next to BT's Adastral Park.

Built over a 10- to 15-year period, the site would house between 80 and 90 hi-tech firms, providing a massive boost to the county's economy.

In a report written ahead of the council's cabinet meeting on May 16, officers from the authority claim: “The establishment of this £74million project will not only achieve the eventual creation of more than 1,100 jobs, but will reinforce the Ipswich sub-region as a world-leading communications industry centre.

“The project aligns extremely well with the University Campus Suffolk development and will establish a directly relevant business park that will reinforce the credibility and capacity of the university to be a business-relevant technology focused institution.”

As well as being asked for their views on the scheme, councillors will also be asked to rubber stamp a move to contribute £1m of taxpayers' money towards it. Around £350,000 of this investment could be paid back to the authority when the site is up and running.

Proposals for the park have been in existence for a number of years and it is hoped planning permission will be secured by the autumn.

The site would run in tandem with Adastral Park, where more than 3,500 highly qualified staff are based. If built, a new access to the site would be made off Newborne Road, with improvements carried out to the A12 roundabout feeding into Adastral Park.