Church centre plans approved

The new centre will cost about £750,000

A £750,000 scheme for a new conference centre for the Church of England in Suffolk has been approved.

Ipswich Borough Council has given the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich planning permission for the building.

The modern glass-sided centre will link the church of St Nicholas, in Cromwell Square, Ipswich, with the nearby diocesan offices in Churchgates House.

The building will be used as a conference centre and serve as a reception for both buildings.

The centre will provide a home for the Suffolk Ecumenical Resource Library and Revelations bookshop.

The centre will link the church to the Diocese office

George Woodward, the leader of the St Nicholas project group, said: "First and foremost, St Nicholas' will once again become a living church.

"But I hope it will also become an amenity for the whole of Ipswich.

"The St Nicholas Centre also represents a good investment.

"Already part of Churchgates House has been let for a significant rent.

"There are other elements of the project which will generate income and allow for substantial savings elsewhere."

St Nicholas Church dates from the 1300s and is a Grade II* listed building.