Plans for a new multi-million-pound aquatics centre in Portman Road are set to be approved when they are outlined to Ipswich Borough Council’s planning committee next week.
The plans, first submitted in early 2024, would see an aquatics centre complete with pools, water flumes, a gym and fitness facilities built on the existing car park adjacent to Ipswich Town Football Club.
It would be accompanied by a seven-storey car park – which conditions dictate must be built first – alongside works to improve walking and cycling routes in the area.
The aquatics centre would replace Crown Pools, which councillors say is “reaching the end of its useful life” after marking its 40th birthday last year.
Documents released ahead of the council’s next Planning & Development Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 30, show a recommendation to approve the plans.
Speaking previously, Ipswich Borough Council leader Neil MacDonald said the project would become both a “community jewel” and “beacon” for sports, leisure and wellbeing.
He added: “Together, we are not just building facilities; we are building hope, opportunity and a legacy of communal wellbeing.”
Other works outlined as part of the plans include closing the road behind the football club’s Cobbold Stand, with vehicular access to the centre instead being via Princes Street. Landscaping work would also be completed.
The planning application is one of many expected to be made as part of a redevelopment of the Portman Road area, with other potential works including the long-term ambition to increase the capacity of the stadium.
The possibility of a new hotel in the area has also been floated.
Elsewhere, Ipswich Town Football Club has applied for retrospective planning permission for last year’s works to prepare the stadium for the Premier League, including its new player tunnel, interview rooms and TV studio.