Land at Eastern Gateway in Ipswich earmarked for new business

A major industrial park in Ipswich will soon see a new business move in.

On Tuesday, members of Ipswich’s executive unanimously agreed to sell a two-acre portion of land on the Eastern Gateway site, a former sugar beet factory, on Sproughton Road.

The sale is part of Ipswich Borough Council’s (IBC) bid to develop the brownfield site after its purchase in December 2014.

IBC council leader, Neil MacDonald, said: “The borough council’s main aim in developing the site was job creation and I think we have been very successful on that.

“It’s a great vote of confidence in the town of Ipswich and indeed in Eastern Gateway as a place to do business.”

The sale means 69.8 per cent of the site is now home to several new businesses, with only 18.95 acres out of its total 130 still for disposal.

IBC’s plans for Eastern Gateway could mean the creation of over 900 jobs, with the current sale expected to create between 30 and 50 full-time positions.

The sale is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024, with the site becoming operational a year later, provided the new owner of the site is successful in securing planning permission.

Although information about the new business is still confidential, the site is already home to major employers including Amazon, LDH LaDoria, and Trebor Developments.

The council report has also revealed the sale of another eight acres is currently being developed, together with two conditional sale agreements.