PROPERTY firm Wrenbridge, which is working with media company Archant, has revealed detailed plans for a major redevelopment of the Lower Brook Street site in Ipswich which is home to the East Anglian Daily Times.

The scheme, which has been named The Link, will feature offices, including a new building for Archant, retail and restaurant units, a hotel and a 500-space multi-storey car park.

Besides Archant’s 1.7 acre site, between Ipswich town centre and the Waterfront area, the scheme also involves additional land either side of Turret Lane.

This will bring the development area up to 2.75 acres, with room for up to 160,000 sq ft of floorspace and an extensive frontage to Star Lane.

Wrenbridge is already in discussions with potential occupiers for the first phase of development and intends to submit a planning application this autumn.

Ewen McLeod of Wrenbridge said: “There is a real sense of enthusiasm and momentum at the moment in Ipswich and we are keen to capitalise on this and make the project a huge success for the town. There are few opportunities in the centre of Ipswich where occupiers can secure Grade A office accommodation built to their needs and this, combined with restaurant and retail offerings and a hotel, is a recipe for a truly sustainable mixed use development that is a destination in its own right.”

The scheme has been developed in consultation with Business Improvement District company Ipswich Central and is seen as a key step in linking the town centre with the Waterfront.

Richard Turner of Ipswich Central described the plan as “another positive step towards delivering the town’s aspiration to become a Waterfront Town Centre rather than a town centre with a separate Waterfront”.

For further details on The Link, call Collins Commercial on 020 7935 3553 or Penn Commercial on 01473 211 933, or visit www.thelinkipswich.co.uk .