Work has started on the Greener Ipswich Town Centre project to create a green trail along Princes Street, Queen Street, Wolsey Square and St Nicholas Street.
Although the project originally hoped to include features like Green ‘living’ Walls, rain gardens, sculpture and many more trees, it is nonetheless exciting to see more green space and biodiversity expansion in the heart of the town centre.
The project is supported by ‘The Towns Fund’, which set out to invest in towns as part of the previous government’s £3.6 billion plan to level up our regions. In 2021 Ipswich was awarded £25 million of funding and this was split between about 12 projects aimed at boosting economic productivity and supporting sustainable growth.
Greener Ipswich Director Faye Harburt said, “As work on the Greener Ipswich Towns Fund project finally gets underway in town I am excited to see the seeds of the ideas we planted several years ago finally start to grow. Whilst we were initially ambitious with our plans for green walls, roofs and sculptures these ideas have seen the realism and pruning by budgets and practicalities. I am nevertheless keen to see the more traditional planting and planters begin to grow along our green route from the town centre to the waterfront.”
Harburt went on to add, “Apart from bringing this greenery to our town centre, I’m also immensely proud that interest and support from local people and businesses was such that we understood Greener Ipswich had a life beyond the Towns Fund project. And so we created Greener Ipswich CIC so as to be able to continue our greening activities.”
Liz Harsant, Suffolk County Councillor and Greener Ipswich Director, commented “Over four years ago my friends Faye, Richard and I won £600k from the Towns Fund for greening up Ipswich. We were so enthusiastic and formed an equally enthusiastic team of people around us. But gradually our enthusiasm eked away after years of negative responses from the Council and our original plans drastically watered down and no acknowledgement that it was us three who devised and successfully won the money. Work has at last started and I hope that we will be thanked for our hard work over the years”