Draft Site Allocations and Policies (incorporating IP-One Area Action Plan) Development Plan Document

Redevelopment of Site IP037 - Island Site will most likely require road access from the West, via Mather Way, from the North via Bridge Street and St. Peters Quay and a pedestrian and cycle connection across the Wet Dock lock gates to connect to the town centre and the surrounding area.

These access improvements do not require the provision of a Wet Dock Crossing and, in our opinion, the Wet Dock Crossing is not required to deliver future development in the Waterfront area and the Core Strategy Growth.

Nevertheless, ABP is aware that the Wet Dock Crossing has been a longstanding aspiration of IBC to provide for through traffic and potentially provide relief from town centre traffic congestion (particularly on the Star Lane Gyratory). Whilst further work would be needed to fully assess the feasibility and impact of such a new crossing and whilst there are presently no clear delivery mechanisms available to deliver it, ABP welcomes the wording in the supporting text to Policy DM56 that the design of the Wet Dock Crossing shall maintain boat access through the lock and navigation along the New Cut.

ABP supports the principle of the new crossing and will assist the Council in seeking to develop a feasible solution which addresses all safety, security and operational issues and avoids any adverse impact on port operations. In particular, ABP is concerned to ensure that a Wet Dock Crossing:

1) avoids an unacceptable impact on existing vessel access to the Wet Dock via the Lock Pit to the detriment of continued port operations, commercial businesses and the vitality and viability of the Ipswich Haven Marina
2) avoids any adverse impact (e.g. through traffic congestion) on Cliff Road, which is the primary access onto Cliff Quay.
3) avoids a routing which would affect the existing railhead into the West Bank Terminal
4) does not prevent the Port from meeting the stringent security requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, and
5) allows for navigation rights along the New Cut

ABP supports the identification of the Island Site as an opportunity area, and generally supports the points set out under 'Development Opportunities' and 'Development Principles'. ABP requests the removal of reference to "lower rise development" in the supporting text and to "generally low rise development (3, 4 and 5 storeys)" to allow more flexibility in the development of a viable scheme capable of addressing the particular development costs on this site. ABP also requests the removal of "(max 50%)" against the residential reference, allowing a more flexible proportion of acceptable uses.