Shorts of All Sorts

'Favourite Independent' business - Ipswich Central ran this competition open to the public. Votes were cast for 50 different businesses. Top award went to Image Beauty Salon, followed by Pickwicks, The Tea Boutique, More than Memorable Cheeses and Craftability.

Vue Cinemas have received planning permission to create 9 screens inside the Buttermarket Shopping Centre in the big spaces where a succession of department stores have all closed. It won't open till summer 2014 - an indication of the scale of the work to be done.

The impending closure of what was originally Reavells (Compair Reavell was taken over by Gardner Denver of USA) will sadly mark the end of nearly all large-scale engineering work in Ipswich after two centuries of many great achievements by many different firms.

Aurora is the newly opened restaurant in the striking tent-like structure on Orwell Quay. Built as part of Persimmon's development of flats and houses there. it has remained unoccupied till now.

UCS has been allowed by IBC to delay development (because of the recession) of the land south of the lames Hehir Building on Orwell Quay. UCS has bought the former Ransome's Shed 8 site (being used as Duke Street car park) on the other side of the Hehir Building. When UCS does build on both sites we should have a splendid waterfront university.

Ipswich was considered one of the safest towns in the UK according to a property magazine's survey based on crime figures, house prices, health facilities. education and public transport. Exeter was in top spot, Ipswich 9th.

Ipswich Maritime Trust's 'window museum' (part of The Mill. ex-Cranfield's and visible from the quayside in a lane) features a new display of photographs illustrating the history and development of the docks. It will be open for the next four months and is well worth a look.

The New Wolsey Theatre has been acclaimed as the most welcoming theatre in the UK by the Theatrical Management Association. The theatre recognises the roles played by all of its staff and its volunteer ushers.

John Lyall (the original architect for The Mill) is working on a scheme to demolish the remaining Victorian Cranfield's buildings (but retaining the waterfront façe and colonnades) and to fit out the rest of the 23 storey tower block. Good news for the Waterfront and for Ipswich.

We are spending £21 m on Ipswich Transport Fit for the 21st Century which includes removing railings from most of the road junctions in the town centre - whilst at the same time installing new railings either side of the toucan crossing outside the new John Lewis in Ransome's Way. Ironical? (N.B. the £21m scheme does include much other work!)

Various uses for the Cliff Brewery site are being considered by developers. The former Tolly Cobbold brewery itself could include a small concert hall/lecture theatre and elsewhere on the site a supermarket and just possibly a new home for the Transport Museum which will have to move from Cobham Road before its lease runs out. Whether residential uses can be included depends on the future of the nearby storage fuel tanks.