Last week I visited Ipswich Borough Council’s (IBC) biggest building site at Bibb Way, the former BT office building off Handford Road. Work is well underway on 150 properties. The five-storey office block will be converted into 78 new flats by Pentaco Construction. 72 new build houses and flats will be constructed on the former car park and data centre by Ipswich firm Brooks & Wood. Almost all their workers live in Ipswich and are loving the short travel to work!
The development is being managed by Handford Homes, which is a building company wholly owned by IBC. Handford Homes prides itself on building developments with environmental considerations, including solar panels, increased insulation, energy efficient heating and wildlife corridors.
The sitewide infrastructure is in place. Tarmac was being laid when I visited, and I could feel the heat through my boots. Some foundations are in place and bricklayers were in action.
These properties will be the first IBC properties to have air source heat pumps, rather than gas boilers. This will be a new experience for tenants, as heat pumps can only change the temperature gradually, unlike boilers which can be fired up when needed. The heat pumps require bigger radiators because they do not generate as much heat as a gas boiler and require a high level of insulation to keep that heat in.
The Government were insisting on heat pumps in new build properties from 2025 because they will help tackle climate change. However, last Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced that boilers could be installed to 2035. A bit of notice would have been good, as Bibb Way is too far down the road to change course. Heat pumps will be fitted.
Sunak did also slip in a nasty change, which is to scrap policies that would force landlords to upgrade energy efficiency in their rented homes. The old policy was that from 2025, new tenancies need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of C or higher and from 2028, this would apply to existing tenancies as well. Both policies have been scrapped. This will cost private renters more to heat their rental properties.
The Bibb Way office block is now a shell. It has lots of windows giving great views over central Ipswich, especially from the top floor. It needs a new roof, so scaffolding will be going around the building shortly.
The development will create a new pedestrian access to Handford Road, and a new footpath along the Alderman Canal, giving people access to attractive walks.
The affordability of rents is very important now. IBC lets its new build properties at a rent that is capped by the LHA (Local Housing Authority) rate. This is set by central government for each council area and is the highest amount that the benefit system will pay out for rents. It means that these properties should be affordable for any renter.
The current LHA rate for 1-bedroom property in Ipswich is £112 per week or £485 per month and for a 2-bedroom property £140 per week or £606pm.
The Tory government has not increased the LHA rate for three and a half years – since April 2020. Another mean Tory measure hitting renters, causing massive hardship for many private renters, as private rents have increased massively in the last few years. The cheapest one bed flat I could find in Ipswich was £600 per month.
Labour-run IBC is delighted to be building these 150 properties, and there are another 150 on the go as well. They will provide fantastic homes for Ipswich people and help meet the housing needs of our community.