Central Ipswich Primary School, Carr Street, Ipswich

The Department for Education, in conjunction with Suffolk County Council, has identified a need for a new Primary School in the central Ipswich area. The Active Learning Trust has been selected as sponsor to run the primary school. Following an extensive search, the former Cooperative Department Store, which is owned by Ipswich Borough Council, has been identified as being available and in a suitable location. It is proposed that the existing buildings are demolished to enable the construction of a 2-Form Entry (420-place) Primary School and (26-place) Nursery. Morgan Sindall are to be the main contractor, with Lanpro as the project planning and communication consultants and facilitators of this public consultation event.

The complex physical nature of the former Department Store, together with its planning context and that of its immediate surroundings, has led to a number of discussions with the Borough Council as Local Planning Authority. This early feedback has enabled the project team to refine the draft proposals, and to present the first public iteration of the proposals in a consultation with local residents, interest groups and the general public from 18 December 2020 to 8 January 2021. 

The purpose of this update is to provide an overview of the feedback provided during the consultation period.

A period of public consultation took place between 17 December 2020 and 12 January 2021 associated with the proposed 2-Form Entry Primary School and Nursery on the Site of the former Cooperative Department Store. A leaflet publicising the public consultation was sent to over 1,100 properties. A webpage was created which provided information related to the Active Learning Trust, who is to be the operator of the Primary School; the Site’s physical location and surroundings; its planning context; the design evolution process and the proposed development. The period of public consultation was publicised in a number of local newspaper and publications, including the Ipswich Star and the East Anglian Daily Times.

If you wish to view the previous consultation, please click here.

In total, 18 responses were submitted by way of the webpage and associated email address. The responses were from a range of stakeholders, including local residents, current and previous Councillors, and some heritage interest groups, and were mixed in nature, with some positive about the proposed development and others negative.

A number of key themes were mentioned in a number of responses. These are, amongst others, whether there is a need for a Primary School in central Ipswich; concern regarding the transport and highways impacts; and queries as to why the existing façade onto Carr Street cannot be retained. Detailed consideration of these elements, and others raised during the public consultation, will be included in the documents submitted as part of the application. However, we felt it important to provide further details in respect of these matters prior to submission – please see the following sections.

Need for a Primary School in Central Ipswich

Suffolk County Council, as the Education Authority, has a legal duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places to meet the needs of the community. Its latest projections show a deficit of over 200 places across all primary school years in 2023. This increased need is a consequence of a number of factors, including an increase in the local population. This need has further been recognised by the Borough Council which has allocated a Primary School in the Mint Quarter / Cox Lane East Regeneration Area as part of its new planning policies. The former Cooperative Department Store is considered to be well located and easily accessible to the local communities which have the greatest need for education places.  

Transport and Highways Impacts on the Development

The Site is located on the edge of Ipswich Town Centre. It is therefore centrally located, close to existing communities which have the greatest need for Primary School places, and is served by a number of bus routes and other public transport options. A number of private car parks are also close by. Planning policy seeks to improve accessibility by locating development to minimise the need to travel by the private car, and to enable safe access on foot, by bicycle and by public transport. Given its location, it is considered that the development should aid in the reduction of impacts from traffic congestion, especially as the previous use of the Site would have created significant vehicle movements. Methods of storing bicycles, children’s scooters and pushchairs are included within the design to encourage sustainable methods of travel, and not providing car parking for parents will influence the way that children travel to the Primary School. Further ways of reducing the transport impacts of the development will be set out in the Travel Plan submitted as part of the planning application.

Retention of the Existing Façade onto Carr Street

The façade of the existing department store with Carr Street is sensitive from a heritage perspective. Specifically, it is on the Borough Council’s local list. Proposals which include the loss of locally listed buildings are required to demonstrate clear and convincing evidence of why retention is not possible. This evidence will be included in the documents submitted as part of the planning application. However, the main reasons are that:

• A retained façade would look like a ‘bolt on’ to the Primary School given the need to adhere to specific standards and requirements set by the Department for Education, which would be detrimental to the overall design and the sensitivity of the façade itself;
• The original glazing cannot be retained and the windows and openings, and floor levels in general, between the existing façade and new building would not align – the level of daylight in the Primary School would be impacted;
• Health and safety implications, both during the construction phase and once the Primary School is open;
• Retention of the  façade would considerably increase the length of the construction period, and would be very costly, both in terms of construction costs and ongoing maintenance and management liability, which would negatively impact the viability of the project and the operation of the Primary School.

It is for these reasons that we do not consider it appropriate to retain the existing façade. However, we recognise the importance of the department store, specifically in terms of its history, and therefore we are looking to incorporate some of its best architectural features in the new Primary School.

We hope that the above is helpful. A detailed summary of all responses submitting during the period of public consultation will be set out in the Statement of Community Involvement, which will form part of the planning application.

If you have any further enquiries associated with the proposed development, please direct them to: reply@lanproservices.co.uk

Please make "Carr Street", "Central Ipswich School" or similar the email subject, so that we can identify your comments for this consultation as easily as possible.