Buildings at Risk
Historic buildings once lost are gone forever. In recent decades Ipswich has been remarkably fortunate in ensuring so few of its protected historic buildings have been destroyed. Only 4 Listed buildings disappeared between 1985 and 1994 and none since 1995. This is partly as a consequence of the Council's policies and actions since its Conservation Strategy was established in 1987.
One of the great conservation successes in Ipswich since then has been the dramatic reduction in the problem of buildings-at-risk of demolition. We piloted the development of computerised buildings-at-risk registers for English Heritage in 1987 when 44 buildings out of 550 were considered to be at risk. By this year, the total had been reduced by 80% to 9 buildings out of 650. This has been achieved by a combination of persuasion and small amounts of grant aid to owners or, in the last resort, the threat of the use of our statutory powers.
Not all buildings-at-risk have irresponsible or unsympathetic owners. Some buildings have been saved by conscientious, dedicated owners; sometimes in phased repairs over extended periods. This careful approach can pay dividends by being carried out with the minimum loss of original fabric. An excellent example of this phased approach is the repair of the exceptional Isaac Lord complex of medieval merchant house and warehouses in Fore St. parts of which date back to the mid 15th Century.
Not all buildings are straightforward to repair or convert to a new use but other recent examples of buildings removed from the Register include 9-27 Waterworks St, vacant and derelict for 21 years before refurbishment for housing; Felaw Street Maltings, vacant in 1981 and storm damaged in 1987 but now an award winning commercial conversion assisting in regenerating Ipswich Waterfront; and the former Half Moon & Star Public House, St Matthews St [shown on our Ipswich Building Preservation Trust Web page] - vacant for 12 years before conversion by the Trust to 5 dwellings in 1999.
Ipswich BPT was established in 1977 by the Council to act as a "repairer of last resort", assisting the Council in dealing with the dilapidated buildings within the Borough that might otherwise not be repaired. The Council and the Trust work closely on buildings-at-risk issues.
The Council's Conservation Service also works jointly with the other Suffolk local planning authorities to produce a bi-annual buildings-at-risk register for the county as a whole. A new edition of the register was recently published (Jan 2006).
Details of the specific buildings (all illustrated) can be obtained from Suffolk County Council, but information about Ipswich buildings-at-risk can be obtained from the Conservation Service through our contact points on our Conservation home page.
Related Links
Considerations when changing the use of an historic buildingContact Us Enquiry/Comment Form