WORK will soon begin to create a new £14million neighbourhood district in Ravenswood on the site formerly occupied by Ipswich airport.The Greenways scheme will provide 70,000 square feet of new buildings, incorporating residential apartments, retail units, a community centre, a new nursery school, a sports pavilion and a playing area as well as 200 car parking spaces.

WORK will soon begin to create a new £14million neighbourhood district in Ravenswood on the site formerly occupied by Ipswich airport.

The Greenways scheme will provide 70,000 square feet of new buildings, incorporating residential apartments, retail units, a community centre, a new nursery school, a sports pavilion and a playing area as well as 200 car parking spaces.

The scheme also includes sensitive reconstruction of the 1930s Grade II listed airport building which will be converted into residential accommodation.

Discussions are also ongoing for a possible healthcare facility and clinic.

The development is the first under Ashwell Property Group's Greenways programme, an initiative aimed at developing new district centres across the east of England.

Ashwell has appointed Kier Eastern, part of the Kier building and engineering group, as main contractor for the project.

Once preliminary site preparations have been completed, work will start in May on building more than 100 town houses and apartments, ranging from one to three bedrooms.

Project bosses hope the entire development will be completed by next spring.

Building work will be carried out under the Considerate Constructor Scheme, and Kier Eastern will be consulting closely with the local Ravenswood community to avoid disruption.

Neil Meixner, managing director of Kier Eastern, said: "We are delighted to be appointed to work on this, the first Greenways initiative.

"We are looking forward to working together with the developer and the local community in making this mixed-use development a thriving new community for Ipswich."

Mike Nelson, construction director of Ashwell Property Group, added: "We are pleased to have Kier Eastern on board so that work can now start on site in earnest.

"Kier Eastern was chosen from the shortlist due to its ability to demonstrate a commitment to working with the local community as well as presenting a time-efficient and cost-effective program of work for the Greenways Ravenswood project."