Ipswich Borough Council to downsize office as more staff work from home

The council moved into Grafton House in 2006

A council has announced it intends to move out of its headquarters to a smaller building in the town centre as more staff work from home.

Ipswich Borough Council said it only needed 52% of the current space it has available, before the pandemic that would have been about 90%.

The authority said that improvements to the building to make it more energy efficient would cost £3m.

Grafton House could be converted into flats with shops on the ground floor.

Neil MacDonald, the leader of Ipswich Borough Council, said: "I look forward to being able to have the council headquarters in the town centre, as part of our work towards ensuring we are a financially sustainable council."

A council report suggested a site closer to the town centre would be preferred, ideally within a 500m radius of the Cornhill.

The report said three floors of the building were available for private rental, but with low demand for office space only part of one floor currently had a tenant.

Senior councillors will discuss the authority's next steps at a meeting on 19 March, with a number of options put forward such as selling the building it has owned since 2015.

The recommended scenario would see most of the building converted into flats, with shops on the ground floor.

The council said more than 3,000 households were currently on its waiting list for social housing.