Former county hall could become 40 flats

County Hall in Ipswich has been vacant since 2005

A former county hall could be transformed into 40 new flats if plans are approved by a council.

The building, on St Helen's Street, Ipswich, was the home of Suffolk County Council until 2004 when it moved to Endeavour House on Russell Road.

The borough council gave the plans the green light in 2020 according to the East Anglian Daily Times, however conditions needed to be met.

The planning and development committee is now set to meet on Wednesday to discuss the plans again.

Councillors will meet on 29 May to discuss the plans for County Hall

Parts of the Grade II listed building date back to the early 18th Century with the external face of the building dating back to the 19th Century.

The plans include converting the building into 10 one, two and three bedroom apartments.

A new three-storey development would also be added to the rear of the existing property to provide 30 one and two bedroom apartments.

One of the former court rooms within the building could also be turned into a heritage space for either a museum or an interactive information area, the plans reveal.

Another of the court rooms could become a two-bedroom apartment.

Developers will have to pay toward various provisions if the plans are approved

Planning officers previously recommended that several conditions had to be met if approval was granted.

This included the developer having to pay £234,181 toward provisions for education, libraries and pre-school places.

It also included a £121.89 levy per unit in the building.

However, officers said the converted building "would be a well-designed and sustainable form of development".

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