Permission sought for redevelopment

PERMISSION to build a multi-million pound regeneration project in Ipswich town centre will be sought “shortly”, it was revealed today.

People will still have a chance to express their views on the plans for the former B&Q site in Grafton Way before a planning committee meets to discuss the issue next year.

Among the ambitious proposals, which have been devised by Spenhill Regeneration - a subsidiary of Tesco, include two hotels, 675 short-stay shopper car parking spaces, sporting and leisure facilities, a mixture of restaurants and smaller shops along the riverfront and new apartments overlooking the river.

A Spenhill spokesman said: “The application will be submitted shortly. We will be taking people's comments right up until the planning committee meets about this, possibly next Spring.”

If everything is approved, it may be 2011 or 2012 before work on the development begins.

The site was closed in September 2006 and has remained vacant since then.

Meanwhile Waitrose is still hovering in the wings to set up a store in town. Now that the former B&Q site has been bought and it is believed that Marks and Spencer may be the anchor store at the former Civic Centre site, there are few locations left for the company to establish itself.

A spokesman for Waitrose today denied the firm was interested in creating a store at the Mint Quarter-the £230m development between Tacket Street and Carr Street.

Although the spokesman admitted the company was still “very keen” on coming to Ipswich, he insisted a suitable site had not yet been found.

What do you think of the proposed developments in town? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk