Alderman Road residents are once again on the warpath as the club apply to increase working hours on the North Stand. David Cox, one of the two residents behind the summer's court action, has spoken out against the club's plans.
Town want to extend the working hours by an extra half an hour, ending half an hour later in the week and starting half and hour earlier on Saturdays. Currently work runs from 8am to 6pm during the week and from 8.30am to 1pm on Saturdays.
David Cox and two other residents have lodged a formal complaint with Ipswich Borough Council. Cox was a prime mover in the legal action by residents which eventually ended in failure. Cox feels that if permission is granted the club would be going against conditions put in place when planning permission was given: "I think it is an affront because the conditions were put there as a residential amenity. The stand is an imposing structure and the building site is next to houses. The condition was put so residents would have some respite from it [the work]. A lot of the people who live here are older and are around their house most of the day and it has caused a lot of stress. It has been very noisy during the winter but most of us have had our windows closed. With the summer coming the noise will be worse because the windows will be open. Residents will feel better about the added hours if the club give them a date when construction is likely to be completed. If the football club say that the extra hours mean that the work will be finished earlier that would be better. But they still haven't told us when they will be finished."
Town are hoping to have the new stand ready so the upper tier is in use for the last home match of the season against Manchester United.
The club has also applied to add two illuminated crests and a sign bearing the legend 'Ipswich Town Football Club' on the South Stand, however planning officers have recommended that this be refused. According to them "it is considered that the method of illumination (ie internal to the letters) would be particularly overdominant due to the size and long visibility range of the sign."
The applications will be considered by the council planning committee at a hearing on Wednesday.