IPSWICH: A new design has been submitted for nearly 400 new homes on Stoke Quay on the Waterfront.

An application was submitted earlier this year for the intensive development on an area that has been earmarked for regeneration.

However after discussions with planning officials at Ipswich Borough Council, developers The Genesis Housing Group has submitted new proposals with slightly fewer homes and smaller buildings.

Genesis is one of Britain’s largest housing associations, providing affordable housing.

Most of the homes to be built at Stoke Quay would be for sale on the open market but about 30 per cent – a much higher proportion than are usually included – would be built for affordable rents.

The application for 386 homes is expected to be discussed by planners at the borough council early in the new year.

No one from Genesis was available to comment about the development, but earlier this year the association was enthusiastic about the project.

A spokeswoman said: “This is a very important site for the regeneration of the Waterfront and it will be a mixture of homes to buy and for rent.”

A spokesman for the borough council said the most significant change was that originally the tallest building would have been up to 14 storeys.

In the new application the tallest building is 11 storeys high.

The application is seen as a major vote of confidence in the Ipswich housing market – especially the area around the Waterfront where the developers of the two largest developments, The Mill and Regatta Quay, have run into financial difficulties over the last year.

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