Ipswich Borough Council has snapped up Giles Place, taking ownership of 69 one-bedroom and studio apartments designed specifically for older residents. The acquisition of the Princes Street development, announced through the council’s newsroom in mid-June, brings the properties into public hands to be let at affordable rents. Council leader Neil MacDonald confirmed the deal, which repurposes the former Direct Line Group offices at 31 Princes Street in the town centre.
All 69 homes are designed to promote independent living in later life, with the council positioning them as a direct answer to growing demand from older households. Councillor Alasdair Ross, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: ‘The acquisition of Giles Place is a major step forward in our ambition to provide high-quality homes that meet the needs of our older residents. This development will not only deliver modern, accessible accommodation but will also ensure residents can remain close to the services, communities, and transport links that matter most to them.’ The council has not disclosed how much it paid for the block.
The site sits in an established part of Ipswich with GP surgeries, pharmacies, shops, green spaces, and bus routes all within walking distance. Planning applications to convert the former office block into flats were first lodged in 2023 by Edco Properties Limited, but the council has now stepped in to acquire the finished development. As of April 2024, the authority owned 7,774 properties across the town, including 556 sheltered housing units, and already runs fifteen sheltered schemes housing 596 residents whose average age is 75. The housing strategy appendix notes that by 2043 the over-65 population in Ipswich is projected to grow, and in May 2024 there were 295 active applicants aged over 60 on the Gateway to Homechoice register.
No date has yet been set for the first residents to move into Giles Place, but the council says the homes will be offered at below-market rents to those who qualify. The scheme adds to the council’s existing stock of older persons’ housing, helping to reduce pressure on existing housing stock, and it is expected to help free up larger family homes elsewhere in the borough as older tenants downsize into the new town-centre flats.
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