New businesses set for former Ipswich sugar beet site

Ipswich council, which bought and is developing the site, is already landlord to the huge LDH La Doria food distribution centre and the Amazon delivery warehouse, which opened last summer.

Existing businesses at the park employ 500 staff - another 450 are on the way. (Image: Archant)

They employ a total of 500 people between them.

Next week, the council's executive is expected to agree to start negotiations with companies interested in moving to three further sites on the park.

They would bring a total of 450 jobs with them - and mean 70% of the available site is occupied.

The new potential uses involve the development of industrial/storage units, and an existing Ipswich business consolidating its operations at Eastern Gateway.

The new development will include a charging centre for electric vehicles.

However, this will be for vans and cars operated by the companies themselves - not a commercial "electric service station" where the public can charge up private electric vehicles.

David Ellesmere, leader of Ipswich Borough Council, said: “The arrival of both LDH and Amazon has already led to 500 staff being employed on Eastern Gateway and another 450 jobs will be created with these new occupiers.

"This underlines what a sound investment Eastern Gateway has been for Ipswich Borough Council.

"With unemployment increasing across the country as a result of Covid, I’m proud that our foresight in buying the sugar beet site has paid off and we are now able to help bring hundreds of new jobs to Ipswich.”

If the proposal to go ahead with the negotiations is approved at next week's executive meeting, plans for the sites are expected to be drawn up in detail.

Work is expected to start once all the details have been approved.

The site already has outline planning permission for industrial development.