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An extensive events and entertainments
programme, along with the Regent and
New Wolsey theatres and popular
museums, also helps to promote the
town centre. Ipswich is home to eight
Arts Council-funded National Portfolio
Organisations, supported by the Borough
Council that will continue to drive
culture and tourism, putting Ipswich
firmly on the map as a visitor destination.
There has been a lot happening in
the town centre, with funding for a
new-look Cornhill main square, a
revitalised Buttermarket Centre and
Sailmakers shopping centre. More
retailers are opening and expanding
and independent shops are also
making a name for themselves.
New arrivals in the town include,
Pandora, Jack Wills, Tiger, White Stuff,
Office, KIKO Milano, Swarovski, Tessuti,
Prezzo, Wagamama’s, Coast to Coast,
Cosy Club and Byron Burgers,
complementing well-established stores
such as Marks & Spencer, Debenhams,
River Island, TK Maxx and Monsoon.
Ipswich is proud of its strong core of
successful independent retailers. The
streets in central Ipswich have changed
little since medieval and Saxon times
and these smaller streets and historic
buildings lend themselves well to the
independent, boutique style of retailer.
The Saints and Blackfriars are the best-
known areas, offering small, quirky
shops, fabulous restaurants, cafés and
bars and sits half way between the
town centre and the Waterfront.
A new style of town centre with
mixed leisure, housing and retail is
seen as the way forward as urban
centres across the country look for
new ways to survive and thrive in
an era of internet shopping and
changing public demand.
Ipswich is truly a town of contrasts.
Its vibrant shopping district and
variety of entertainment facilities are
complemented by over 800 acres of
parkland and open space, and its
central conservation area boasts more
than 600 listed buildings, including 12
medieval churches.
Town Centre
Ipswich has evolved into a regional centre of excellence with
many stylish places to eat and drink, great shopping with a good
representation of high street stores and smaller independent shops
and excellent leisure and cultural facilities.
Cornhill redevelopment
INVESTMENT
HEADLINES
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£35m Buttermarket revamp
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£3.6m Cornhill
redevelopment
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£5m multi story car park
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£4m redevelopment of the
Sailmakers Shopping Centre
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£1.8m in Superbowl UK
leisure complex
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£2m Pentahotel
refurbishment
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£4m Easyhotel