Ipswich Borough Council today welcomed the announcement that work to transform an empty building on the Waterfront is now under way, with construction work on the Winerack set to begin next month.
Contracts for work have now been signed, utilities work has already begun, and construction is set to begin in January 2018 with a completion date of 2020.
The building has been in a semi-constructed condition since the financial crash of 2008. Funding for the redevelopment was agreed in the spring and after months of legal work the contract for the work has now been awarded to R G Carter Construction.
The Homes and Communities Agency is investing £15 million in the development of the Winerack building, along with £5 million from New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
The completed project will create 149 homes and 5,000 square feet of commercial space. It will support 56 new jobs. It is a key development in the Ipswich Vision project, which brings together local partners to work towards a single vision for the regeneration of Ipswich town centre.
Ipswich Borough Council Leader David Ellesmere said: “This is another important milestone in our goal to further redevelop the area. The Council has invested in derelict property and land to the western end of the Waterfront and we want to work with other landowners in a bid to regenerate the Stoke Bridge gateway.
