New homes for Waterfront
FROM an eyesore to new homes for rent – that's the latest proposal for part of Ipswich's booming Waterfront areas.The former car auctions site in Wherstead Road could be razed to the ground and replaced by houses and flats if the scheme gets council approval.
FROM an eyesore to new homes for rent – that's the latest proposal for part of Ipswich's booming Waterfront areas.
The former car auctions site in Wherstead Road could be razed to the ground and replaced by houses and flats if the scheme gets council approval.
Shaftsbury Housing Association and building company RG Carter want to erect 39 houses and 134 flats on the site, ranging in height from three to seven storeys.
But Mike Smith, Ipswich council's chief planing officer, warned the scheme may have to be modified if it is to get the green light.
He said: "We are keen on the development in principle. It could replace what is a big and ugly building and would aid the redevelopment of the area.
"But we need to look at whether it's an over-development. It could be that it's too many dwellings on that site – it could be just too big."
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Mr Smith said the would-be developers were keen to get the proposal before council committee in August, but warned there was still work to be done before it reached that stage.
He also said some money for social improvements, most notably schools, could be integrated into the scheme to minimise any impact on the surrounding area.
Sean Cahill, marketing manager for Shaftesbury Housing Association, said the development would be aimed purely at the social housing market.
He said his company was keen to add the development to the 11,000 properties it already manages nationwide, but said it would not happen over night.
He said: "We're going through the due process, which takes time. We're only at the early stages of developing the land."
Weblink:
www.shaftesburyhousing.org.uk
