New project planned for town waterfront

THE future of a picturesque riverside frontage including the famous Woodbridge Tide Mill will be mapped out in a new project.

The redundant Whisstocks boatyard, where plans for luxury housing were dismissed, will also feature in the Action Plan.

Work will start this summer on the future of the River Deben frontage in Woodbridge after the Woodbridge and Melton Market Towns Initiative (MTI) Partnership and Suffolk Coastal have appointed a project manager.

''This is a major project which will help set out the future for part of the Woodbridge riverside, and will involve gaining the input from as many key stakeholders and as much of the community as possible,''said Penny Austen-Brown, of the MTI Partnership.

''This project has grown out of the Market Towns Initiative Healthcheck and Community Event, and local interest in last year's Planning Inquiry into development proposals for Whisstocks boatyard. The project manager will have the task of building on a high level of interest in the future of the riverside and turning that into an Action Plan to map out future projects for riverside area.

''The MTI Partnership believes that there are many people that will like to make a constructive input into this project and hopes that there will be a real community involvement in the drawing up of both the development brief and the action plan,'' she added.

Suffolk Coastal's Local Plan policies protect the Lime Kiln Quay and Ferry Quay areas for river-related commercial and leisure and recreational Activities. The council will provide a Development Brief to include the area from Melton Boat Club to the Deben Yacht Club.

The Action Plan aims to encourage both residents and tourists to make more use of the riverside location. The short-term projects will be part-funded by money set aside by the MTI Partnership.

richard.smith@eadt.co.uk