As Ipswich businesses are hoping for a multi-million pound bonanza following the football club's promotion to the Premier League, local councils are planning to do their bit to boost the town.
Ipswich Borough Council is hoping to get work to improve Arras Square and the bottom of Lloyds Avenue under way before the end of this year.
And Suffolk County Council is hoping to step up work improving paving and getting rid of unsightly asphalt in the town centre to smarten up its look.
Business leaders believe the football club's promotion could be worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the local economy - officials in Brighton estimated that club's promotion brought an extra £612m to the city last year.
However the "public realm" in the town centre badly needs attention - Arras Square between the Buttermarket Centre and St Stephen's Church has been due for a revamp since 2019.
The last attempt to get work started was delayed last year because of police concerns about anti-social behaviour.
But the more serious concerns there are about historic yew trees whose roots damage the paving and are even threatening the foundations of St Stephen's Church.
Because of the age of the trees a full consultation has to take place before they can be replaced - but council leader Neil MacDonald is hopeful things can be resolved during the summer.
He said: "We hope to discuss the consultation at a council meeting in July and make some decisions then press ahead with our plans."
There is a similar story with the bottom of Lloyds Avenue which is due to turned into a larger pedestrianised area near the taxis' turning area - the consultation is due to be agreed in the summer.
Mr MacDonald said: "We hope to be able to get on with both of those projects before the end of the year and we hope they will be finished by the summer of 2025.
Another thing that needs improvement is the state of some of the paved areas in the town centre which is the responsibility of Suffolk County Council.
In some places, especially along the Butter Market street, there are loose paving bricks that can be very unnerving for people with mobility problems.
Elsewhere there have been problems the the standard of repairs that have been carried out to the surface.
Road workers have either carried out a "botched job" with ill-fitting paving bricks or they have replaced paving bricks or York Stone with asphalt.
County council cabinet member for Ipswich Paul West said he was very keen to support efforts to boost the town in the wake of the promotion to the Premier League.
He said: "We will be looking at what we can do to support the town centre and make it a more attractive place for people visiting Ipswich - maybe many will be coming here for the first time ever.
"I know it doesn't look great to have York Stones replaced by black stuff and I hope we are able to use some of the extra money we have to improve the look of the town centre."
The state of repairs to some of the paving in Ipswich was recently highlighted by Labour borough councillor Martin Cook.
He took some pictures of some of the worst examples which are in some of the best-known areas of the town centre including the Tower Ramparts bus station and the Junction of St Nicholas Street and St Peter's Street where the statue of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey can be found.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel