Ipswich: Town Tesco saga throws deal for rival superstore into doubt

Building work on the site of the new Tesco, Grafton Way, Ipswich

WITH the future of Tesco’s proposals for Grafton Way under the microscope, one group following the saga with interest is the developer of the Civic Centre site.

Share Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in.

An artist's impression of the planned Grafton Way Tesco development

Turnstone Developments had hoped to go ahead with a major development at the site, close to the New Wolsey Theatre, anchored by a new superstore and with other stores as part of the scheme.

The firm had been in talks with Morrisons about creating a large store at the heart of the scheme – but said that deal could not go ahead with the threat of Tesco building a rival store just half a mile away.

The Civic Centre site is also expected to grow once the police finally pull out of the last part of the Elm Street station that they occupy, later this year.

If the developers of the rest of the Civic Centre site are able to add the police station to their landholding, it would give them better access and enable a better scheme to be put together.

A spokesman for Turnstone said the company was monitoring the situation, but it was not clear that anything had changed – and they would need more confidence before bringing new plans forward.

Meanwhile, Ipswich Central chief executive Paul Clement repeated his call for the borough to ensure that there was no “open-ended” consent granted to Tesco – any consent should require work to start within a fixed period, possibly two years.

What should happen to the Civic Centre site? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail starletters@archant.co.uk