A TOP quality new hotel could be one of the major attractions when Adastral Park is redeveloped.A four-star Ramada hotel is earmarked for the regeneration of the BT site at Martlesham Heath, near Ipswich.

Richard Smith

A TOP quality new hotel could be one of the major attractions when Adastral Park is redeveloped.

A four-star Ramada hotel is earmarked for the regeneration of the BT site at Martlesham Heath, near Ipswich.

The 120-bedroom hotel is still subject to planning permission and if approved it will help to bring in the country's brightest brains for top-level conferences.

Thousands of people will move to Adastral Park to take up the 2,000 new homes and occupy 2,000 new jobs if the vision for the future, currently being unveiled to the public, becomes reality.

This means that a small section of the A12 will be used by up to 6,000 employees and their families - 4,000 people are already employed there - and also by the existing development at Martlesham Heath.

Land south and east of Adastral Park is reserved for the new houses and ultimately Martlesham, which used to have an airfield and a few houses, will be the size of a small town.

The sale of the new homes will fund the regeneration of Adastral Park and turn it into a ''world class business park for world class innovation and enterprise.''

The A12 and industrial park by BT is already heavily congested at peak times but BT stresses that it has a Green Travel Plan to reduce the impact on the dual carriageway.

It wants cycle and walk routes, electric bicycles, car sharing and improved public transport, and the company expects that many of the people moving to the new houses and new jobs will walk to work.

The vision includes new streets and open spaces, a health centre, community facilities, a primary school, public park, hotel, restaurant, cafes and shops.

There will be boulevards, a new entrance square, university and innovation parks, and improvements to the existing woodlands.

“BT is examining measures to reduce any adverse traffic impact on Martlesham and Martlesham Heath, and options are being examined to improve the road network and to limit car use through better public transport and improvements in cycle and walking networks,” said a BT roadshow.

Debbie Burr, Adastral Park communications manager, said a dialogue had begun with the county council about the road infrastructure and BT had started travel studies. One aim was to improve links with Martlesham Heath.

Martlesham parish council has already warned that the area east of Ipswich “is already at saturation point”.

The roadshow is at Kesgrave community centre today from 10am to 8pm, and at Martlesham Heath St Michael's church community centre from 2pm to 8pm tomorrow.