The great eastern

“Ipswich could potentially have more growth than some of the growth areas,” says Tracey Lee, Ipswich council’s director responsible for housing.

The town’s planning target is to build an extra 770 homes a year – that’s almost double the old target of 400 homes a year. It’s also 35 more than the 735 planned for the Cambridge part of the M11 growth area specified in the Communities Plan, the eastern border of which is about 60 miles away.

Ipswich wants to be considered a regional growth centre in order to get the extra affordable housing it needs, but the council is less certain about the idea of joining the M11 corridor.

“Would Ipswich benefit?” she asks. “The eastern region as a whole is set for significant growth and we need to see how funding will be allocated across the county and within the region. We have to see what we would get out of it – more funding?

“The issue will be how the money is allocated and what happens to areas outside the main growth area.”

To hit its proposed target, the town would need 635 more new homes a year: 106 were built this year. This increase could be problematic, says Lee. Extra transport and jobs would have to be considered too. The council has already started to take transport into account in Ravenswood, a 1200-home community – including 360 affordable homes – to the south-east of the town.

“The county agreed to subsidise bus services through Ravenswood at a stage before it was economic,” Lee explains.

The bus service will not only reduce car pollution but boost the economy by making it easier for people to get to work and into the town centre. The service became viable before the council expected it to.

Private sector housing is another priority and the council has set up a loan scheme with the local credit union for help private owners refurbish their homes. The council will provide a grant of up to £25,000 and, if the tenants can’t pay for the rest of the work themselves, the credit union will provide a cheap loan to cover the remainder.

The council has put in £60,000 to underwrite the Ipswich Credit Union loans; this means that whereas people usually have to save with the credit union before borrowing, applicants can borrow straightaway.

Ipswich’s council housing is in a pretty healthy state. The service was given two stars in January 2002, and rated good with promising prospects for improvement by the Audit Commission.

The inspectors also praised its separation of strategy and management.

It is on track to meet the decent homes standard; 2292 were up to scratch by April, more than half the 4310 in its stock. The council needs an extra £8m to complete its current capital programme but is confident it can find the money through savings.

Lee puts the council’s good position on decent homes down to “a combination of good management and good fortune”.

“Our rents were very low in the 1980s and 1990s so rent restructuring will mean our rents will go up and we’ll keep some of that money,” she explains.

“Tenants will see that increase but it does mean we are in a better position [on decent homes].”

However, the council is starting to consult tenants on whether it should keep managing their homes, or opt for the private finance initiative, arm’s-length management or transfer to a housing association.

So the future looks set to hold as much change as the present for residents of this East Anglian town.