“Eyesore” building site on Ipswich Waterfront could finally be finished

Residents were angry when work stopped at the site. Picture: ANDY ABBOTT

A half-finished building site on the Waterfront that has angered local residents for years could finally be completed after a new planning application was lodged with Ipswich council.

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The area of Griffin Wharf to be redeveloped is on the top right of this picture. Picture: www.skycameast.co.uk The area of Griffin Wharf to be redeveloped is on the top right of this picture. Picture: www.skycameast.co.uk

Persimmon Homes has asked for detailed planning permission to build 113 homes on land at Griffin Wharf, on the west side of the River Orwell, which would complete the development of their site.

Six years ago residents of nearby Jamestown Boulevard and other roads spoke of their frustration that work on the development had stalled – leaving an area of derelict land next to their homes.

Persimmon were originally granted outline permission to develop the whole of Griffin Wharf in 2005 with 434 homes, but the recession of the latter years of that decade meant the project stalled.

The company has now made a new submission to finish off the project with the construction of 57 three-bedroomed town houses and 56 two-bedroomed flats.

Residents of the Griffin Wharf development and Jamestown Boulevard in Ipswich forced to live by a massive building site after developers stopped new building, pictured in 2011. Picture: ANDY ABBOTT Residents of the Griffin Wharf development and Jamestown Boulevard in Ipswich forced to live by a massive building site after developers stopped new building, pictured in 2011. Picture: ANDY ABBOTT

It has been registered with the borough and is expected to be discussed by its planning and development committee later in the year.

The site is near the western side of the proposed Upper Orwell Crossing main bridge – but a spokesman for Suffolk County Council which is managing the project said the proposed development would not affect the approach to the bridge.

In making their application, the statement from Persimmon Homes says: “The redevelopment of the eastern part of the site stalled,principally because of development viability and the impact of the oversupply of apartments in this part of Ipswich.”

Local borough councillor Phil Smart said residents of the area had been concerned when building stopped and were keen to see things finished, so welcomed the news about the planning application.

He said: “There have been false dawns in the past with revised planning applications going in and nothing happening – but in this case it does look as if they have really looked hard at what is needed.

“I think residents feel that this time around something should happen and if that is the case it will certainly be welcomed by local people who have been living beside a building site for almost a decade.”