TWO major developments to continue the regeneration of a town's waterfront have been unveiled.The projects planned for the historic Ipswich waterfront include hundreds of new flats, three hotels, a shopping centre and a restaurant.

TWO major developments to continue the regeneration of a town's waterfront have been unveiled.

The projects planned for the historic Ipswich waterfront include hundreds of new flats, three hotels, a shopping centre and a restaurant.

Ipswich Borough Council has received an application to develop the former Paul's Maltings site, on the Wet Dock, and a separate £75million project is in the pipeline for St Peter's Port, between College Street and Star Lane.

Mike Smith, head of planning and development at Ipswich Borough Council, said the proposals for the former Paul's site included 281 apartments.

They also feature 3,500sq m of non-residential floor space, possibly including a theatre.

The development would see the former maltings buildings, which closed last year, demolished and replaced by a number of new builds, the highest of which will be 16 storeys.

Knight Developments, the applicant, also plans to build a multi-storey car park on the one-hectare site, between Custom House and Cranfield Mill.

It comes as an planning application was submitted for a major development on the historically important St Peter's Port site, where Cardinal Wolsey's college stood in the 1530s.

The glass-facade development will feature three hotels and will also have a restaurant, shopping centre, apartments and underground car park if it is given the go-ahead.

Developer Braceforce has submitted an application for planning permission and has also announced that demolition on the neighbouring Cardinal Lofts site on the waterfront will start on April 11.

Max Hembry, project manager for Braceforce, said: “All of the three hotels have now been pre-let to companies.

“Other plans include a 450-space car park underground, 30 apartments, a shopping mall and a restaurant.

“The whole thing will have a great look and will use more glass than the Willis building. We think the site will provide a new identity for Ipswich.”

It is expected that the project will take in the region of two-and-a-half years to complete.

Preparations for demolition on the Cardinal Lofts site, in the former Burtons factory on the other side of College Street, will start on April 4 with work going on inside including the removal of existing fittings.

On April 11 work will begin to take out the old windows on the part of the site that will remain before five floors will be bolted on to the top of the building.

Mr Hembry added: “Within three months the part of the building that is being renovated will be re-glazed and will look like a finished building. It will look fantastic.

“We are happy with the way the planning stages have gone and it is now just a matter of getting on and finishing it.”

The Cardinal Lofts development is due for completion in April 2006.