NEW plans for a state-of-the-art sports hall for all of Ipswich are being considered today.Suffolk College had already been granted planning permission to build a sports hall and main educational complex together in one large building, but the college has now revised its plans and wants to create a separate centre for all the community.

NEW plans for a state-of-the-art sports hall for all of Ipswich are being considered today.

Suffolk College had already been granted planning permission to build a sports hall and main educational complex together in one large building, but the college has now revised its plans and wants to create a separate centre for all the community.

The college submitted a new planning application to create a 12,000 sq m sports hall and 20,000 sq m main campus building to Ipswich Borough Council today.

Dave Muller, principal, said: “The sports hall will be quite spacious and we're going to link some of our sports pitches along side.

“The plan is for all our own students to use it but to also make it available for the community, especially at the times when are students aren't here.

“There will be changing facilities and some college facilities such as catering and maybe hair and beauty - we're quite ambitious about it.”

Mr Muller said he hoped both the buildings, which will be built on college land that has be cleared to make way for the new-look college facilities, would be completed by late 2009 or early 2010.

He added: “All the current teaching and training will be in the new educational building.

“After 2010 when we have our new buildings the current ones on the site will be demolished so we'll flatten the site to create a better educational campus.”

He said he was optimistic that planning permission for the revised plans would be granted and added that staff at Suffolk College had been working closely with planning officers at Ipswich Borough Council throughout the design process.

Are you loving forward to the new-look Suffolk College? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.