End of a Civic Era

Going, going and almost gone.

Ipswich Civic Centre was once a towering testament to the best and worst of 1960's architecture, looking down on the town's constantly changing landscape. Now these crumbling concrete remains are all that are left of the monolith that has gone the way of other buildings of its vintage, such as the original Greyfriar's development.

After nearly a year of painstaking work to bring down the edifice floor by floor, the demolition is almost complete.

Civic Centre, the home of Ipswich Borough Council for more than 35 years, took four years to build and has taken only ten months to tear down since the official deconstruction began in early May last year.

Misty-eyed reminiscences are redundant though, as its passing heralds a new era of hope and rejuvenation. When the site is finally cleared, the old will make way for the new in the shape of the Westgate Centre, which will feature a supermarket, bars and shops.

Reflecting on the past and future, Ipswich council leader Liz Harsant said: "This is truly the end of an era for Ipswich. The Civic Centre was one of the most prominent, yet unloved, buildings in the town. The Community in Ipswich has moved on and we look forward to seeing an exciting new development which will be an integral part of the town centre.

"The Westgate Centre is central to the regeneration of Ipswich as a prime shopping centre and it will be great to see work start on the exciting new development for our town."

However, before we can look too far ahead, one last series of tasks must be carried out this month to ensure the remains of the council's former nerve centre are finally torn down to pave the way for progress.

16th March 2009

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