Column 11.09.26 - Jack Abbott welcomes Ipswich Borough Council takeover of Waterloo House

For half a decade, the building which housed former Debenhams store has stood empty, leaving a scar in our town centre.

It is symbolic of what our town centre used to be, and what we have lost. 

I know how frustrated people feel about the situation, a frustration I share. Our town centre should be full of life. It should not be blighted by buildings left abandoned and derelict.

It should be somewhere people want to spend time, shop, eat, meet friends and enjoy everything our town has to offer. Revitalising our town is one of my main priorities, and I have worked with partners across town to build an Ipswich we can all be proud of. 

Using Government funding, Labour-led Ipswich Borough Council has got the deal over the line to buy the empty site and take ownership of the building as a flagship project for the town centre's regeneration. This is a significant moment for the future of our town.

However, I am clear that the aim cannot simply be to replace an empty building - we must create a vibrant, sustainable and attractive destination in the heart of our town that supports the future growth and prosperity of Ipswich. 

We should be ambitious about what this space could become and how it can contribute to a town centre that is vibrant, attractive and built for the future.

There are reasons to be optimistic.

Ipswich is already showing signs of renewal, with the long-empty Grimwades building on the Cornhill now home to Jamaica Blue, Lovisa and Suffolk New College’s Education Suite, while The Walk has also been revitalised and the Regent revamped.

Footfall is up in the town centre, with Ipswich bucking national trends as more people are visiting our town centre than they were pre-Covid.   

Nearly 29 million visits were recorded in Ipswich last year, compared with around 24 million in 2019 – almost 20% higher than before the pandemic – driven, in part, by hosting a multitude of events throughout the year.

I am proud that I secured £20 million of Pride of Place funding from our Government which will be invested in Stoke Park and Chantry, alongside £1.5 million to be invested in community projects across our town.

And, although there is a lot more work to do, crime figures in Ipswich have fallen to their lowest levels in a decade.

Piece by piece, we are rebuilding confidence and investment in our town, and I am proud of how far we have come. This news is another sign that our town is on the right track. 

We have a prospect for a new future here, not just for Waterloo House, but for our town centre as a whole. I want everyone to be involved, because our town centre belongs to all of us. 

What should Waterloo House become?

Could it provide new shops, cafés and restaurants? A space for culture, music and entertainment? A skatepark or an ice rink? New public space? Homes or workspace? Community facilities? Or a combination of different uses?

I want to hear what your ideas, hopes and ambitions are, because if we are to make the most of this opportunity, we must work together as a community to build the town we want. 

I have created a survey on my website – https://www.jackabbott.org/waterloo-house-survey- for people to feed in their ideas. Please get involved, and I will bring together your thoughts and ideas and present them to the council to help shape the future of this building.

Former Debenhams stores stand empty across the country – more than half of all stores still stand vacant – and in every town, they represent something lost. Our town will never again look the same as when the former department store was the focal point of our high street.

However, we are building a new town centre, and a new Ipswich. One that people can be proud of, and this marks a pivotal milestone as we write a new chapter for our town.