Further details have emerged about 85 homes planned to be built on the former fertilizer factory site in Sandyhill Lane in Ipswich.

Ipswich Borough Council first granted permission for up to 85 homes to be built on the former Norsk Hydro Ltd site in 2019. The land was placed on sale with property experts Savills and Avison Young in April this year.

In September, an application was submitted on behalf of developer Cheltenham Developments, outlying plans for 69 homes to be built on the land.

However, last week a further application for the site was submitted on behalf of developer United Living, this time for a total of 85 homes.

Ipswich Star: The site has been unused for over 30 years.The site has been unused for over 30 years. (Image: Google Maps)

A planning statement submitted on behalf of United Living explained that the September application for 69 homes had been submitted by the landowner.

Their reason for doing this, it said, was to make sure that planning permission did not expire, and to protect their position until United Living’s purchase of the site had been finalised.

The statement went on to describe United Living’s plans for a mix of housing types.

There would be four one-bedroom ground-floor flats, and four one-bedroom first-floor flats.

There would be 57 semi-detached mews homes. Of these, 18 would have two bedrooms and 39 would have three bedrooms.

The remaining 20 homes would be semi-detached houses, each with four bedrooms.

The statement said: “Each house has dedicated off-street parking and secure rear gardens with cycle and bin storage.

“The proposed apartments towards the north of the site will have communal bin storage and car and cycle parking.

“Dwellings have been orientated to ensure frontage is provided towards public areas.”

The public areas include a children’s play area complete with play equipment, located “at the heart of the site.” The play area would include springer seats, rubber ‘boulders’, a climbing structure and a swinging nest.

The statement added that bat and bird boxes would be erected, to retain and enhance the site’s existing woodland.

Ipswich Borough Council will make its decision in due course and has set a target date for a decision of November 29. The application for 69 homes on the site is set to be decided by November 11.

The statement prepared on behalf of United Living said that the two applications were not competing for the site, and requested that they be considered “separately and on their own merits”.