Future of Wherstead Road housing development unclear

Plans to convert the derelict building at 240 Wherstead Road, which has planning permission for 24 flats, may finally come to fruition after nearly three years, despite the owner moving to Dubai.

The building has been vacant for nearly 20 years with residents complaining that the site is an "eyesore" and reports that it has become a hotspot for anti-social behaviour.

Matt Purnell, director of Tammie Homes Ltd, is the current owner of the site of the derelict office building in Wherstead Road. (Image: Tammie Homes Ltd)

It was bought by the current owners in 2023 with the belief that the development would be a six-month project but has face multiple delays.

Firstly, the number of homes were reduced to 24 and the developers and Ipswich Borough Council were in discussion concerning the financial contributions and the economic viability of the site.

The owner of the building, Matt Purnell who also a has a number of other projects in the town, posted an update from outside the building on his social media.

He said: "We are now at a point where we can start clearing conditions, getting the building control drawings done and actually progressing with the building.

"However, with me now living in Dubai it's not going to be very easy for me to project manage such a monster like this.

Aerial view of Wherstead Road with the office building earmarked for flats shown in red. (Image: Google Maps)

"So we are looking for partners to come into the site, we can look at joint ventures, we can look at full resale of the site.

"I don't mind staying in the deal, I don't mind exiting the deal, there are a lot of opportunities on the table and the site is still very profitable."

Planning approval was granted by Ipswich Borough Council in 2025 and will expire in 2028 if no work is carried out on the site before then.