Former crown court building to be sold by council

A former crown court building is to be put up for sale by a council to help support the town centre.

Ipswich Borough Council acquired the freehold of the site on Civic Drive, Suffolk, in January 2014, but it has remained unused since 2023.

The council said it had been considering the options for retention of the site, but had agreed to put it on the open market for sale.

Neil MacDonald, the leader of the council, said the sale would "lead to this site being of long-term benefit to the town centre".

"Ensuring there is ongoing use of the former crown court supports our vision for a thriving town centre," he said.

"By marketing the site for sale, we can ensure all options are considered that will lead to this site being of long-term benefit to the town centre."

The site consists of 21,000 sq ft of space across the basement, ground and first floors as well as 22 car parking spaces.

It was originally constructed in the 1960s as part of the Civic Centre Complex development and served as the crown court until 2004 when the new court opened on Russell Road.

After the council acquired the building it was used by a charity for several years.

Homeless people began using the canopy to sleep under after the building was left unused, then in March 2024 a fire broke out at the building.

The council has not announced the price of the site.

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