The priority for Ipswich Borough Council is a vibrant town centre. 

We have just made a couple of small steps along that path with the opening of St Stephens’s church venue and announcement of a Compulsory Purchase Order for the Grimwade building on corner of the Cornhill. 

When I come to town, I want an area that has a range of interests: shopping, eating, drinking, and spaces for relaxation. 

At the moment, our Town Centre needs improvement, and as a resident of Ipswich I want to see it improved. This is a priority for the council and for me.   

I remember the Grimwade building as Clinton Cards, though this closed in 2012.  Grimwade is a prominent site that has been empty for over a decade.

IBC have been working with the owners of this building for some time, but we have not been able to bring this key building back into meaningful use, which is why we’ve reluctantly moved towards a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO). 

A CPO is a legal function which allows compulsory purchase to "facilitate the carrying out of development, re-development or improvement" for the area's economic, social, or environmental wellbeing.

Owners can challenge this, and their objections will be heard by an independent inspector, a barrister who specialises in property law.  The CPO is also confirmed by the Secretary of State, Michael Gove in this case. 

IBC did a previous CPO at the Waterfront entrance in 2014.  In this case, the seller took the money on offer and the deal was done in a few months. 

This time, I believe the Dubai based owners will challenge, so a result is at least a year away.   

On a more optimistic note, I was really pleased to attend the opening of the refurbished St Stephens church last week.  This 15th Century building is in Arras Square, beside the Buttermarket shopping centre. 

When I moved to Ipswich, there were no places for up and coming bands.  It’s taken some time, but it is good to see that people have stood up and changed this for the better. 

Joe Bailey and Marcus Neal at Sounds East have been instrumental in making this happen. 

Starting eight years ago with The Smokehouse, a 70 person venue, they have added The Baths, with up to 400 capacity and now St Stephens Church, which takes 200.  If you add the Corn Exchange, which takes 1000 standing, there is now a route for Ipswich bands and artists to grow a home following. 

It also means there is a range of venues so that high quality bands and artists can be attracted to Ipswich.  This will help create a vibrant nightlife in the Town Centre, which will both attract and keep people in the centre of town.  I am sure the pubs and restaurants will be delighted. 

I was impressed with St Stephens’s Church.  It is a good size but retains an intimate feel. 

The refurbishment project was a great example of partnership working: led by IBC, funded by the Suffolk Growth and the Suffolk Inclusive Growth Investment Funds, building work by local firm Mixbrow and sound expertise by Sounds East.

Adnams provides the beer!  It is good to see the historical details of the building preserved. 

It’s had quite a baptism over the weekend, with the Brighten The Corners music festival using the venue. 

That is just the start of upgrading the Arras Square area as an improvement project is underway which will include new seating, paving, lighting, CCTV and trees as well as a new mural.   

All part of the vibrant town centre.