County Hall

The local media (probably being short of real news during August) picked up on the deteriorating state of the former County Hall in St Helen's Street. This is an all too familiar story. A developer purchased this large site from Suffolk County Council (when they moved to Endeavour House) and re-developed the easy bits. So there is a new block of flats in Bond Street, recognisable because of the proliferation of perforations in the façade (gas flue vents and air inlet tubes); and the re-building of the shops on the corner of Grimwade Street and St Helen's Street, with flats above. They will also refurbish St Andrew's House when the economy starts to recover, but St Helen's Court (the former prison-like building) is proving much too difficult to convert (it's Grade II Listed). The constant changes of floor level. particularly on the first floor, make access difficult for wheelchair users, so the original ideas - for a sheltered care home - were dropped before any planning application was submitted.