Ipswich Borough Council’s planning committee unanimously backed the aquatics centre development proposed for the car park behind the Cobbold Stand earlier today.

The scheme, which was initially announced in July 2022 having been drawn up in collaboration with Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Town, will see a new aquatics centre - featuring pools, water flumes, a gym and fitness studios, as well as a soft play area and cafe - a hotel and park areas built on the car park the opposite side of Portman Road from the football ground.

In addition, a seven-storey car park would also be constructed in order to replace the spaces lost due to the new development, while there is an in-principle agreement between Town and IBC that the new Cobbold Stand when it is built will take an additional 3,635m² of land behind the existing structure.

Portman Road will re-routed into a curve as part of the aquatics centre project ahead of the Blues’ long-term plans for a stand development.

Handford Homes, which is owned by IBC, sought full permission in March last year for the aquatics centre project with permission unanimously granted at this morning’s meeting.

Councillor Neil MacDonald, leader of IBC, said: “This approval is a momentous achievement, representing another leap forward in making our vision a reality.

“This project will become a community jewel, a symbol of how sports, leisure, and communal wellbeing are valued in Ipswich.

“Our focus now shifts to implementing the next phases of the project and continuing to attract forward-thinking investors who share our commitment to a healthier, more vibrant Ipswich.”

“The new aquatic centre is not just a replacement for Crown Pools it is a significant upgrade that puts health, inclusion, and community pride at its core.”

The next step for the project is the technical design phase, during which the detailed architectural and engineering designs will produced.

That phase, which could take up to 12 months, will see a detailed design programme produced and a timeline for the construction phase agreed, along with the final funding strategy, which is expected to be a combination of public and private sector investment.

The next step for the project is the development of a comprehensive investment strategy.

Photo: DB3 Group

Wacko added 13:22 - Apr 30 Handford Homes, which is owned by Ipswich Borough Council, sought permission from… Ipswich Borough Council. Sounds a bit fishy
2

NthQldITFC added 13:28 - Apr 30 If it's still just a little 25m pool with (another) massive gym space, it's a criminal missed opportunity. But then the West Stand redevelopment is infinitely more important anyway.
6

EuanTown added 13:29 - Apr 30 Getting out of the multi storey car park on a match day is going to be the worst place in the world.
1

BrandonsBlues added 13:32 - Apr 30 If it is anything like the Gainsborough project it will fall over on the "development of the comprehensive investment strategy". Or have IBC learnt from that debacle.
0

dirtyboy added 13:39 - Apr 30 The pool will be infinitely less useful than Crown Pools. Lovely project, but aesthetics came before useability. Suffolk swimming will now probably move completely for UEA once this is built ...in Norfolk...beggars belief.
2

MattinLondon added 14:36 - Apr 30 I’m not trying to sound negative but what with it being called an Aquatics Centre I would expect the pool itself to be 50m long rather than just 25m. Seems a bit half-arsed.
13

Alphawhiskey added 14:42 - Apr 30 Anyone know what the capacity will be once the new stand is built?
0

JustBeingSivell added 15:06 - Apr 30 An ice rink would have been better and more unique
0

JustBeingSivell added 15:23 - Apr 30 Would love to see an Ipswich Ice Hockey Team with Sami as our Enforcer
0

EuanTown added 15:41 - Apr 30 Aquatics centre sounds posher than swimming pool don't you know.
5

Edmundo added 15:47 - Apr 30 Ready for Ipswich hosting the next Commonwealth Games? Just need a Velodrome next...! Will be exciting to see the next phase of Portman Road development being announced. Probably a long wait though: 12 months?
-1

runaround added 16:02 - Apr 30 I just can’t see how many more people and therefore money this pool will attract in comparison to Crown Pools does. The space in between Portman Road and Princes Street is well placed for something to actually get extra people coming into Ipswich. For me moving a municipal pool to there would not do this. Restaurants, Sports Bars, conference and events space possibly for concerts, PDC darts etc will get people especially those who only come in from out of town for ITFC matches to possibly spend more time and money in the area

1

Bert added 16:09 - Apr 30 Ticks many boxes. More to be pleased about than not at a time when very few Councils can invest in new leisure facilities. Handford Homes is an arms length company set up to enable IBC to do things which Thatcher Governments ourlawed hence the lack of investment in many public facilities that the private sector cannot make a return on.
-1

BluJu added 16:20 - Apr 30 I can't get excited about this. Looks like they desperately wanted to fill the space before someone else had an idea of how to use it (or before the club offered to buy it!). It seems to lack imagination. If it gets used well though, that's what matters I suppose. I'd prefer to see even further expansion of the Cobbled Stand, incorporating a decent sized multi-purpose venue for music etc. with accompanying supporting businesses like bars.

5

EuanTown added 16:37 - Apr 30 Crown pools is well past it's sell by date and the council either supplies a new pool or not. So they pick an area that is flat, for a change and decide that area is ripe for a pool and hotel. Also it is not just a pool, it has a fitness suite as well as some other stuff I cannot remember. By the time the finances are sorted like crown pools it will be somewhat less than the original idea as the costs rise and then cut backs are made to the proposal.

0

Carberry added 16:39 - Apr 30 Has to be a 50M pool otherwise where will our Olympians come from? Ask Karen Pickering.
5

blues1 added 18:08 - Apr 30 Euan. Actually, shouldn't be any more difficult coming out of the multi storey than the present car park. We parked in a multi storey near to Sunderland ground last season. Was actually much easier and quicker getting out of there than it is, the portman road car park. Guess it could depend where the exit will be tho.
0

churchmans added 18:16 - Apr 30 Hm it is defo an improvement but would of been great to have an ice rink or at least a pool that is over 2m deep or even have a diving section! I was lost when the word 'inclusion' was inserted as that normally means some woke chit i coyld be wrong! On the whole a good thing i guess
2

Northstandveteran added 18:39 - Apr 30 I'm looking forward to this. It's often been remarked that I'm a great breast stroker.
0

Broadbent23 added 18:55 - Apr 30 With this Aquatic Project and a new Cobbold Stand probably increasing our capacity to 36k; IBC must find space for more parking within walking distance. Also the routes towards the A12 could be quicker.
1

whosroundisitanyway added 19:32 - Apr 30 I thought it was gonna have fish in it ?
1

PhuketPete added 20:11 - Apr 30 Ipswich biggest problem is transportation around the town centre. The “aquatics centre” (which appears in the video to have very little spectator capacity) sounds grand but seems to lack facilities to be more than a recreational facility (and at that one that is barely usable on match days due to congestion) with perhaps some small scale swim comps. A 1-2 level car park would suffice. A 7 level carpark will simply act as a magnet for more cars into the centre of town and more congestion. An alternative would be to build a smaller carpark for the new facilities than build a much larger car park out towards London Road/A12. To really act as a draw for the town, then connect that with an overhead monorail to the football ground, then to Cardinal Park, the dock area and the US campus. Could also spur into the town centre and to the Train Station. (Of course if the Govt and IBC continue to over tax businesses there won’t be much worth coming into the town for anyway - except football). In short I fear IBC has rushed into this because they felt a need to “do something” but in so doing may have missed an opportunity to really move the needle for the Town.

4

orfordbuoy added 21:42 - Apr 30 another obstacle to get to PR from the town centre. Add this to going around the side and back of the offices opposite Curve bar and what a maze you've got. Hardly a great entrance from the town centre, but the authorities have no idea - and that's why everyone goes to Colchester, Bury and Norwich.
1

LegendofthePhoenix added 06:44 - May 1 I normally park in the car park behind the Cobbold - but I'd far rather travel by train. However the train line from Liverpool St to Ipswich is constantly undergoing maintenance with rail replacements on match days, which makes the journey a nightmare. If the car park is going to go, please can this be coordinated so that whatever needs doing to the railway line is done once and for all, so that we can all travel to matches more sustainably? it's rare for a big club to have a main line station so close to the stadium, so let's try and make it usable.

1

conhill added 06:51 - May 1 Sadly, limiting it to just a 25m pool is a missed opportunity - when used for all the classes and galas (which create additional income) ordinary swimmers who pay and want to just turn up and lane swim miss out A 50m pool with a 25m divide would have been multipurpose and catered for all..
3

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