The Ipswich Town Community Trust has announced plans for a new Community Hub at Portman Road, which will also see the Fieldturf replaced with a new 3G surface.

Town relaunched the Community Trust in August 2019, however, the current facilities at Portman Road need updating and they have outlined their plans for the future via social media.

“The Ipswich Town Community Trust is currently in the process of putting together a proposal for a new Community Hub at Portman Road," a Facebook post reads.

“The Fieldturf at Portman Road is used by the Trust all day, every day by a variety of participants from different groups in the local community. Despite the location in the shadow of the iconic stadium, unfortunately the venue leaves a lot to be desired.

“However, we are hoping to change this through the creation of a new state-of-the-art Community Hub, so we can support and engage with more of the local community.

“The new facility will comprise of a brand-new two-storey multi-use community building, with educational classrooms, office space, meeting rooms, a café/bar and new sporting facilities.

“The new sports facilities will include a resurfaced full-size floodlit 3G artificial grass pitch, a 50-seat capacity stand, changing rooms, referee facilities and multi-purpose sports hall.

“The new facility will become the new home of the Ipswich Town Community Trust, as well as providing state-of-the-art sports and education facilities for many grassroots clubs, sports groups, schools, local organisations and the general public.

“The Hub will welcome people of all abilities and will become a venue where academic achievement, sports training, social interaction and community cohesion all go hand in hand.

“Our vision is to create a vibrant and inclusive environment that offers outstanding facilities for sport, health, well-being and community events that are accessible to all.”

The Trust is in the early stages of planning and wants input from the public via a short survey, which can be found here.

Photo: ITFC Community Trust

Europablue added 11:32 - Mar 25 Looks great. Surely this could be funded by a combination of the local government and ME.
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idmcd added 14:36 - Mar 25 Whilst it all looks very nice for the locals, surely this would also mean the end of the fanzone? Presumably they wouldn't want the great unwashed (with unsuitable footwear) tearing up their lovely new 3G. If so, that would be such a shame - the fanzone is the only good thing the club has done in years for us long-suffering supporters - it would be a real kick in the teeth.

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Freddies_Ears added 14:42 - Mar 25 With a lot of regeneration in the immediate area around the stadium, there is room for an improved Fanzone... Given it is a commercial success, I'd expect that to be a high priority...
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billys_boots added 19:51 - Mar 25 Europablue Why should taxpayers help fund it when there's so much money in football and there are so many other under-funded public services and charities?
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Europablue added 07:10 - Mar 26 billys_boots Because it is a public good and public funding would be given on the condition that the facilities are open to the public. Sports facilities are a legitimate area for public funding. It makes sense as a business for the club to pay for the whole thing if it is a way of getting the next generation of supporters interested in the club.
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NthQldITFC added 18:00 - Mar 31 "Looks great. Surely this could be funded by a combination of the local government and ME." I'd rather it was funded by a combination of the local government and Gamechanger 20!
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