> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Regeneration, or the end of an era? The waterfront split over Cranfield Mill - URL: https://www.ipswich.co.uk/regeneration-or-the-end-of-an-era-the-waterfront-split-over-cranfield-mill/ - Published: 2026-11-05T11:16:14.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-05T11:16:14.000Z - Description: Two derelict Victorian blocks at the former Cranfield Mill site could soon be demolished to make way for long-awaited repairs to The Mill. We asked the people who live, work and walk on the Ipswich waterfront what they think, and the consensus was: but what comes next? - Author: Nicola Sebastian - Tags: Long Reads, Waterfront, Town Centre & Waterfront, Ipswich Borough Council, Planning & Licensing, David Plowman For Carrie, visiting from Bury St Edmunds with Bob, the case for keeping the two buildings on College Street is simple. “It’s a feature,” she said. “It’s part of Ipswich’s history.” Bob remembers the docks from 40-odd years ago and has watched the area gradually transform unto stronger foundations. He is unconvinced the blocks need to go. “Well, it’s not falling down, is it?” he said. “Pretty solid.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/2026/11/IMG_6202-2.jpeg) Carrie, visiting from Bury St Edmunds with Bob, says the blocks are “part of Ipswich’s history” (Photo: Nicola Sebastian/Ipswich.co.uk) Jeff and Corrine, who have lived on the waterfront for nearly five years, see it very differently. “It’s a mess,” they said. “This has got to go.” ## Why the blocks could come down Blocks B and C sit within the Wet Dock Conservation Area, stood shoulder to shoulder with The Mill, which is Suffolk’s tallest building. The Mill has had dangerous cladding since 2013\. In July of this year, the government body that checks high-rise recladding plans, approved works to reclad its 215 occupied flats and complete 85 flats in the part that has remained vacant. JTS Partnership has applied on behalf of a company called Cardinal Lofts (Victorian Building) Limited, to take the blocks down to floor slab level. After being demolished, the space would become the main site compound for the tower's repairs, which the application says will take two years. [Plans lodged to demolish Victorian blocks at Cranfield MillPlans have been submitted to demolish two Victorian blocks at the former Cranfield Mill site on Ipswich Waterfront, which the applicant says cannot be saved and must come down to enable long-awaited repairs to The Mill tower.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/icon/ipswich-icon-d5fffb13-6dee-4110-a85f-021fae3ba91a.png)Ipswich.co.ukNicola Sebastian![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/thumbnail/view-of-the-waterfront-from-stoke-quay-3-1-6f712db3-f3e7-4587-896d-1bb693911fe4.jpg)](https://www.ipswich.co.uk/plans-lodged-to-demolish-victorian-blocks-at-cranfield-mill/) The blocks were due to become flats under the site’s 2005 planning permission, but the application states this was never completed after the original developer’s financial difficulties in the early 2010s. A structural assessment by GC Robertsons & Associates, prepared for Team AB, the client for the demolition works, - also currently working on cladding at a Regatta Quay building a few doors town - concluded that “substantial retention of the external structure is not a realistic option”. It cites rotten and collapsed floors, rusting steel splitting the brickwork and soft, settling ground, and warns: “Left alone, further areas will collapse each winter.” ## ‘Part of Ipswich’s history’ George, who works on the waterfront and is there every day, would miss the rusty poles that give this corner its character. “It’s quite nice to have some of the old dock infrastructure still here,” he said. “To lose that might be a bit of a shame.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/2026/11/IMG_6194-2.jpeg) George, who works on the waterfront, says it is “quite nice to have some of the old dock infrastructure still here” (Photo: Nicola Sebastian/Ipswich.co.uk) An Ipswich resident walking along the quay agreed. “It seems a shame to pull something down,” she said. The council’s own Wet Dock Conservation Area Appraisal describes the blocks as “of special local interest”. Those views are echoed on the council’s planning portal, where eight representations were lodged before the consultation closed on 3 November. A self-described artist and historian from Shotley Gate wrote: “Each window doorway and brick resonates with history.” A Kings Avenue resident described the blocks’ pillars and frames as “historic and visually important remnants of the original docks”. The council’s planning policy states it will resist the total or substantial demolition of buildings that make a positive contribution to a conservation area, unless circumstances outweigh the case for keeping them. The applicant accepts demolition would cause “some temporary harm” to the conservation area. As of right now, there is nothing in the application that states what will replace these buildings. ## ‘Probably beyond saving’ For many, the feeling, and solution, is less clear-cut. “I will miss them, but I think they’re probably beyond saving,” said Stuart, who once lived on the waterfront. “The only alternative, I suppose, is you try and look to see if you can turn them into flats or something like that, but I’m guessing they’re suggesting that they’re perhaps just a little bit too dilapidated for that.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/2026/11/IMG_6197.jpeg) Stuart says he will miss the blocks, but thinks they are “probably beyond saving” (Photo: Nicola Sebastian/Ipswich.co.uk) George, too, was open to change if it helped fix The Mill. “That kind of building being in limbo is not a great scenario,” he said. Matt, visiting Ipswich for work and staying at the waterfront, was sorry to see them go. “Whenever I see something that has historical value being destroyed, it’s rather sad,” he said. ## ‘Let it go’ Jeff, however, has no such mixed feelings about the blocks. “Yeah, let it go,” he said. He believes new development would bring life to the quay. “That’ll attract more people, more businesses.” For Jeff, waterfront living is hard to beat. He and Corrine can step out of their flat and reach the cafés and bars without crossing a road. “It doesn’t get much better than that,” he said. One respondent from Upper Cavendish Street, who told the council they did not object, put the case plainly: “This application makes sense – original buildings are in disrepair. Demolition of these blocks allows regeneration of the site including additional housing provision.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/2026/11/IMG_6196.jpeg) Blocks B and C sit within the Wet Dock Conservation Area and have stood vacant for years (Photo: Nicola Sebastian/Ipswich.co.uk) ## On their doorstep For those closest to the site, and people like Jeff, the debate is less about history and more about daily life. One resident of The Mill, whose terrace adjoins the blocks, raised a safety concern on the planning portal. “My terrace adjoins this derelict building – and is secured to it,” they wrote. “Once the wall is removed what is going to replace the tall space? I will be left with an extremely dangerous 50ft drop to the ground. Some sort of barrier needs to be installed…” Anthony lives on the top floors of a building connected to the site. He has a background in building regulations and in high-rise construction in Hong Kong, and is frustrated by how buildings were put up side by side without thought for future access. “There’s just no planning. There’s just no thought,” he said. Albeit, he is relaxed about the works themselves. “I know they’re not going to do it right, but as long as they do it quick, then it’s not going to be an issue.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/2026/11/IMG_6219.jpeg) Anthony, who lives beside the site, is worried about what will replace the blocks: “I think it’ll just turn into a car park” (Photo: Nicola Sebastian/Ipswich.co.uk) ## What comes next? The question running through many of our conversations was what will replace the blocks. Usually, a planning application answers this question. This one doesn't. It acknowledges the applicant “is taking the unusual step of seeking permission to demolish Blocks B & C and bring forward a redevelopment proposal at a later stage”. It states that “various options have been drawn up and discussed with planning officers”, but none have been submitted. That matters under national planning policy, which councils must take into account when deciding planning applications. The government rewrote the National Planning Policy Framework in August, and its Policy HE10 says development that leads to the loss of a heritage asset “should not be approved without all reasonable steps being taken to ensure that the new development will proceed after the loss has occurred”. At Cranfield Mill, no replacement has been proposed. Councillor David Plowman, who represents Alexandra ward, said: “Recently there has been a flurry of planning applications for the waterfront. Let us hope that the present works are part of another wider vision and not just works out of necessity. "It is concerning that the replacement for the demolished buildings is to be revealed ‘at a later date’. This is not the best way to redevelop important areas.” Ipswich Borough Council, the governing body deciding the application, also plans to buy the land beneath the blocks for £1.09m, according to correspondence seen by Ipswich.co.uk. When asked about the purchase in October, the council said it was “not commenting on this matter”. [Council plans to buy Cranfield Mill site for £1.09mIpswich Borough Council plans to buy the land beneath two Victorian buildings at the Cranfield Mill site for £1.09m, according to correspondence seen by Ipswich.co.uk. With the council declining to comment, the question remains: what comes first, the sale or the demolition?![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/icon/ipswich-icon-13763284-63c1-4be9-b3b1-6019875b014a.png)Ipswich.co.ukNicola Sebastian![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/thumbnail/IMG_1954-1-31e9f113-0187-44ce-86c0-fc77d66c88a3.jpg)](https://www.ipswich.co.uk/council-plans-to-buy-cranfield-mill-site-for-1-09m/) Without a plan, people are naturally filling the gap with their own predictions. “I’d be worried about what’s gonna go in its place,” said Anthony. “I think it’ll just turn into a car park.” The Ipswich resident on the quay expected the site to be “pulled down and left there”. Jeff would welcome an open space, but doubts it will happen. “That’s not gonna make any money for anyone, is it?” he said. Stuart is happy for the council to step in. “I think there’s an awful lot that doesn’t get done in this town without, perhaps, someone moving things along a bit,” he said, though he accepted some people did not think it was a good use of council funds. Bob took on more of a pragmatic view. He said he did not mind who owned it, as long as it was “done up nicely, like the rest of it”. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/29/1e/291e4b7f-e551-4458-b546-61963954b22f/content/images/2026/11/IMG_6200.jpeg) The Victorian blocks at the former Cranfield Mill site, which could be demolished to make way for repairs to The Mill (Photo: Nicola Sebastian/Ipswich.co.uk) Cranfield’s Mill was established at the head of the Wet Dock in 1884, and milling continued there until the late 1990s. Jeff remembers the waterfront of his childhood as a playground. “When I was a kid, I used to come down and play down there,” he said. “They used to have railway lines down here.” Councillor David Plowman said: "The Waterfront must remain an area where pedestrians can walk freely and is accessible to all. I look forward to many more days drinking tea while soaking up the calm, pleasant atmosphere of the scenic Waterfront." Lewis, who lives nearby Foundry Lane, was passing by. He had not heard about the plans at all. “I didn’t even know they were dragging it down,” he said. “It wouldn’t affect my life at all.” Then he asked the question nobody can yet answer: “Are they planning to build here, or just gonna leave it flat?” ## The bottom line To some, the Cranfield Mill blocks are part of Ipswich’s history. To others, they are a mess standing in the way of The Mill’s long-overdue repairs. Many, like Stuart, feel both at once. There seems to be a certain sort of tenderness towards the buildings rusty poles though. What nobody on the waterfront could tell us, and what the application does not set out, is what will take their place. The council has a target decision date of Tuesday, 1 December 2026\. Until then, Lewis’s question stands. --- **Don't forget:** If you enjoy our content, please [add Ipswich.co.uk as a "preferred source" on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) so you can easily find more of the content you value. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=ipswich.co.uk&ref=ipswich.co.uk) --- ### This article cost us \~£93 to produce It's free for you to read thanks to the generous support of our partners. Please support us by supporting them.