CONTROVERSIAL proposals to develop a new car park beside Crown Pools have been scrapped after councillors decided it wasn't worth going ahead with it.Earlier this year the previous Labour administration at Civic centre had obtained planning permission for a 30-space surface car park on a green area beside the pool.

CONTROVERSIAL proposals to develop a new car park beside Crown Pools have been scrapped after councillors decided it wasn't worth going ahead with it.

Earlier this year the previous Labour administration at Civic centre had obtained planning permission for a 30-space surface car park on a green area beside the pool.

However this had provoked an angry reaction from local residents who said there were already car parks on two sides of Crown Pools and this would deprive the town of another patch of green space.

A petition was handed in to this week's meeting of Ipswich council's executive committee – which decided to reverse the decision.

Transport and environment spokeswoman Inga Lockington said: "We were determined to halt the development plans for this site.

"We want to improve it and prove the green credentials of the new

administration.

"We have a large car park (Crown Street) just the other side

of the pools and we felt it unnecessary to concrete over a pleasant green

amenity site in the town centre."

Council leader Dale Jackson said: "We are not convinced

that a car park is necessary and had only projections that it would be used

by the public to generate income.

"We were also faced with an outlay of £130,000 for the initial construction work and do not see that as a prudent way to spend council tax-payers' money."

Are you pleased the car park proposal has been scrapped? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk