Ribbon-cutting celebration marks reopening of fire-hit Suffolk primary school

A ribbon-cutting ceremony has taken place to celebrate the reopening of Otley Primary School following a fire in the school’s toilets just before Christmas. The fire, on Monday December 9, started in the ground floor and spread to the roof, requiring 11 engines from across Suffolk to extinguish the blaze. Following the fire, pupils were […]
Housebuilder lends helping paw to Norfolk cat rescue charity

An East Anglian housebuilder has donated £1,500 to an animal rescue charity to help support its work rehabilitating and rehoming cats and kittens. Norwich-based Barratt and David Wilson Homes Anglia made the donation to Venture Farm Cat Rescue to cover the costs of food, veterinary care and general upkeep of the charity’s shelter in Mattishall. […]
Artist’s impression of £8million Norwich park revamp released

Plans for a multi-million-pound revamp of Sloughbottom Park in Norwich – including a new pavilion, sports hub and all-weather football pitch – have been revealed. Norwich City Council has released an artist’s impression of what the park will look like after its £8million refurbishment and confirmed details of what is included in the plans. Councillor […]
Major milestone in construction of 26 council homes at former industrial site

A major milestone in the construction of 26 new homes at a former industrial site in Ipswich has been marked with a topping out ceremony as the project nears completion. The Hawke Road development, a mix of one-bedroom flats to four-bedroom houses, is being built by Gipping Construction Ltd on behalf of Ipswich Borough Council’s […]
Student shares experiences working on Women in Construction campaign
Work experience student Keziah has spent the week at Friel, helping the agency identify new ways to promote careers in construction for women nationwide. Keziah Webbe spent her week at the agency learning how to use Canva to craft and design a social media campaign for the ongoing Women in Construction Anglia (WICA) initiative. Before […]
Celebrations mark official opening of The Elm Sports Centre

A ribbon cutting ceremony has been held at Simon Balle All-Through School in Hertford, to mark the official grand opening of The Elm Sports Centre. The grand opening of the centre, built by East of England construction company R G Carter, took place on April 30, with co-headteachers Rachel Kirk and Michael Moss gathering at […]
Ipswich degree apprentice celebrates professional achievement

An Ipswich-based Structural Engineer is celebrating after achieving Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status from the Engineering Council just five years after leaving sixth form. Liam Swann, 24, joined structural engineering design business, Superstructures, in 2019 from One Sixth Form College in Ipswich. The company’s first apprentice, while working for the business he attended Anglia Ruskin University […]
How the region’s construction industry is tackling the skills shortage

The construction industry faces a long-running shortage of skilled workers – particularly in the east of England where demand is among the highest in the UK. There are a host of large-scale infrastructure projects, as well as high targets for housebuilding, which will need a large, skilled workforce to make a reality. However, despite the […]
Topping out ceremony marks milestone for Fore Hamlet development

The topping out ceremony for new Council housing on Fore Hamlet was celebrated today (Tuesday 13 May 2025) by Ipswich Borough Council and its house building company Handford Homes. The 30 flats which are being built at the former Hope Church site by SEH French include eight one-bedroom apartments, 20 two-bedroom apartments and two disabled […]
Plans submitted for new cafe franchise at former Grimwades store in Ipswich

A planning application for a new cafe franchise has been submitted for the long-empty former Grimwades building in Ipswich. Ipswich Borough Council bought the building on the Cornhill in April after it had been left vacant for the last 13 years. Jamaica Blue, a casual dining cafe franchise, has now submitted a planning application for […]