Westgate Theatre Square

The neglected area above the Spiral Car Park and in front of our theatre is to be transformed to provide a vibrant new public space with a new restaurant, to become ‘Westgate Theatre Square’. The development is intended to celebrate the importance of our building as a key cultural venue in Ipswich. It will create an exciting new destination for the town, with a wide range of possible activities on offer, from extended outdoor café and dining, and informal meeting and gathering, to organised events and performance.

The square will also help better reconnect this part of the Town Centre by including a new pedestrian crossing over Civic Drive and a new link bridge offering a more direct route to Westgate Street. Improving accessibility for all has been a major consideration and level or ramped access has been provided throughout. Cycle parking has been provided at a number of locations around the Square to encourage people to visit by bike.

The Spiral and existing surface car parks will all be refurbished, with additional temporary car parking (for a period of up to 5 years) replacing the unsightly blue hoarding to the former civic centre site.

The additional and refurbished car parking is planned to be open in time for Christmas trading 2015, with the creation of Theatre Square to be completed by Summer 2016. The development, which has been designed by Waind Gohil Architects and Ipswich practice AREA landscape architects, will be entirely privately funded by the new site owner, Charterhouse Investments LLP. As well as providing significant improvements now, these works will act as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the former civic centre and police station sites over the next few years.

For further information about the proposal and plans for the future, as well as the opportunity to comment, please visit:
www.ipswichwestgate.com