Ipswich Borough Council will once again review the plans for 72 affordable homes which are set to be located at former BT offices.

Small changes have been made to the application for the council accommodation on Bibb Way that will compromise 41 flats and 31 houses.

The improvements include installation of fire hydrants and widening the footway.

The new council homes will have an associated roads access, new public footpath along the Alderman Canal, new pedestrian access to Handford Road, car parking and cycle storage facilitations, as well as refuse/recycling storage facilities and an open space.

Ipswich Star: The development of the Bibb Way site will feature a mix of flats and housesThe development of the Bibb Way site will feature a mix of flats and houses (Image: STANLEY BRAGG ARCHITECTS)

Car parking will provide 95 spots, while there will also be 144 cycle spaces.

BT vacated its former offices and data centre in Bibb Way in 2014, and the site has been empty since then.

The houses will include 23 two-bed homes and eight three-bed, while most of the flats will be one and two-bed properties.

Ipswich Borough Assets has confirmed the access for cars will be from Bibb Way, and only emergency vehicle and pedestrian will be able to access the estate from Handford Road to ensure there was not a significant number of traffic movements added to that already-busy road.

Ipswich Star: The development of the Bibb Way site will feature a mix of flats and houses The development of the Bibb Way site will feature a mix of flats and houses (Image: STANLEY BRAGG ARCHITECTS)

When the plans were first reviewed in 2021, planning committee member Carole Jones said: “This is a really welcome application for a site that has been empty and underused for a number of years.

“Thousands of people in need of well-designed, sustainable homes."

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities allocated for Ipswich £3,340,500 in funding from the government to transform redundant industrial sites, disused car parks and derelict buildings into new places for people to live.

These include plans for new homes on Bibb Way, Hawke Road and Fore Hamlet.

41 councils across England received almost £35 million to help kickstart regeneration in towns and cities, with Ipswich’s award being the second highest in the country.

Ipswich Star: How the Bibb Way homes will look from the front of the site How the Bibb Way homes will look from the front of the site (Image: BLUE CUBE STUDIOS)

The scheme will be rolled out over the next two years, putting in place 2,200 homes, including more than 800 affordable homes across the country that will be built for local communities.

This will help more young people and families onto the housing ladder and generate up to 7000 new jobs in housing and construction.