A NEW multi-storey car park is to be built near Ipswich station to cater for rail passengers and visitors to Ipswich Village.The existing Ipswich Village car park, which has its entrance off West End Road, is to be developed with spaces for cars, a significant number of new homes and, possibly, a new hotel.

A NEW multi-storey car park is to be built near Ipswich station to cater for rail passengers and visitors to Ipswich Village.

The existing Ipswich Village car park, which has its entrance off West End Road, is to be developed with spaces for cars, a significant number of new homes and, possibly, a new hotel.

At the Princes Street end of the site, behind Zest nightclub, a new multi-storey car park with spaces for up to 1,000 vehicles will be built – that is more spaces than there are on the existing surface car park.

This will be built into the natural dip in the land, with an exit directly on to Princes Street just a hundred yards from the entrance to Ipswich station.

The land is owned by Ipswich Council, and it is currently trying to find a company who will develop the site in partnership with it.

Ipswich council chief executive James Hehir said: "The new car park would take over a significant area of the site, but most of it would not be needed for that and it would attractive to a developer wanting to build new homes.

Between the car park and the River Orwell there is a little-used rail link which runs from the Ipswich freight yards to the disused lines around the waterfront.

Mr Hehir said this link would remain, but it could be paved to create a tramway effect.

Between the rail link and the river a green ribbon could be created with a footbridge built across the river to link the car park and homes with the new development currently underway on Ranelagh Road and the proposed redevelopment of the Compair Reavell site.

"It is still some way off, but it's a prime site ready for things to happen," Mr Hehir said.