The SWISS Centre

For some members who haven't heard about it, the prospect of a 'SWISS Centre' in Ipswich might sound bizarre. It is in fact the ingenious name for the proposed new sixth form college, as we old-fashioned people might have put it, serving South-West Ipswich and South Suffolk. (Get it?) Anyway, the Society has written to Suffolk County Council to make these criticisms.

"We are delighted to see your proposals for the new centre; it will bring a welcome revolution for the education of our young people in the catchment areas involved. However, we do have a major concern for this site. We believe it should be in the Education Quarter on the Ipswich Waterfront. We make the following points in support of our argument:

"Transportation: The only mode of transport to access this site is road. Ipswich residents would not cycle out there and clearly there is no rail station. We accept there is a frequent bus service from the town centre, but none from any other part of Ipswich. The age of the students means they will not be attending for a standard school day which could be served by school buses at the start and end of the day. They will use regular transport and this in practice will mean motorised vehicles -- cars, or worse, two-wheelers. It is therefore logical, and planning for a sustainable future, to place it in the centre of the transport system.

"Infrastructure: We believe it is important that the SWISS Centre should be close to the Further Education College and University Campus Suffolk. There will be many obvious synergies that would be more readily developed if they were all in the same quarter.

"Local Plan: We understood that, in the adopted Ipswich Local Plan, Further Educational developments were to take place in the zoned Education Quarter.

"As this proposed development remains just outside the Borough boundary, it is not easy for us to influence your decision. We would, however, be grateful if you would let us know on what grounds it was decided to build it on the outskirts of the town and whether it remains possible to change it."