Ravenswood, Ipswich

Last updated October 22, 2024

Ravenswood is a district within Ipswich, in the Ipswich district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is sited on the old Ipswich Airport to the south-east of the town. The area has grown rapidly due to private housing development. The old airport building has been transformed into small flats, and part of the terminal has been redeveloped for commercial purposes.

1172 homes have been built on the site so far, with a few hundred more to be built in the coming years, along with a planned sports park. The estate is bound to the north by Nacton Road, bound to the west and south west by Gainsborough Sports Centre and the Orwell County Park. It is also bound to the south by the A14 and a disused airport access road.

Construction

Formation sculpture by Rick Kirby at entrance to Ravenswood. Formation-Ravenswood.jpg — *Formation* sculpture by Rick Kirby at entrance to Ravenswood.

Handstanding sculpture by Martin Heron near Ravenswood Primary School Handman.jpg — *Handstanding* sculpture by Martin Heron near Ravenswood Primary School

The development was planned to be environmentally sensitive. Space for cars is limited, with traffic calming measures and frequent bus service links to the town centre. Mixed cycle paths and walkways are also a feature. Incorporated into the design of the buildings and sewers is a sustainable urban drainage system which allows rainfall to be returned to the environment without going through the sewerage system.

A number of pieces of public art have been installed: "Formation" by Rick Kirby at the entrance, designed to commemorate the areas links with aviation; "Handstanding" by Martin Heron near the school; "Green Wind 2" by Diane Maclean as a focal point beyond the end of Downham Boulevard on the Tump; and "Propeller" by Harry Gray has been placed adjacent to the green.^[1]

The estate was fully built by Persimmon plc and Bellway, as well as Charles Church to the South of the estate. 4 restaurants have also been constructed at the entrance of the estate.

In Autumn 2019, a resident discovered an untapped fund for community projects from Bellway, who built much of the housing on the estate, which totalled about £60000.^[2] Soon after Some of the fund was used to pave a dirt track from the edge of the estate to the country park near The Tump on the nearby Brazier’s Wood . More recently, a new fencing project by Ipswich Borough Council has closed off some of the nearby meadows to help safeguard Rare Skylarks from human activity and disturbance. The area is also a habitat for Muntjac deer, ladybirds and lizards due to the grassland and heathland habitats being suitable for wildlife.

At the end of 2019, plans for The Stephen Hawking Neurological Centre next to Bluebird lodge along the South of the estate. It has a planned capacity of 24 residents and will be a local centre for the charity running the site. As of December 2021, no construction has occurred yet, but it may begin in 2022.^[3]

In March 2021, Ipswich Borough Council approved plans from Handford Homes, a housing company owned by Ipswich Borough Council, for 96 new homes on areas U, V, and W. There is a lot of criticism about the plans, due to the high number of social homes in the same place, potentially breaking the 35:65 social to private home plan that made the estate successful and attractive for residents. Despite these criticisms, construction will begin in early 2022, and it will go ahead as planned.^[4]

Amenities

Ravenswood has a primary school with a good Ofsted rating, sports centre and an NHS independent care centre. A retirement home named after Jamie Cann the MP for Ipswich who died in 2001 is also in the area. Behind the former airport terminal building, which has been converted into apartments, a small shopping centre has been built with one public house. Orwell Country Park is near to the area. The estate also features more care homes, known as Bluebird Lodge and Prince George care home.

Patches of gym equipment have also been installed due to money received from a community fund in 2019.

Related Research Articles

Ipswich is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the second-largest population centre in East of England, Norwich being the largest. It is 80 miles (130 km) northeast of London and in 2011 had a population of 144,957. The Ipswich built-up area is the fourth-largest in the East of England and the 42nd-largest in England and Wales. It includes the towns and villages of Kesgrave, Woodbridge, Bramford and Martlesham Heath.

Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a new town, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire, and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upper Stort Valley, which has been made navigable through other towns and features a canal section near its watermill.

The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough of West Midlands, England. It was created in 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972, through a merger of the existing Dudley County Borough with the municipal boroughs of Stourbridge and Halesowen.

Beckton is a suburb in east London, England, located 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Charing Cross and part of the London Borough of Newham. Adjacent to the River Thames, the area consisted of unpopulated marshland known as the East Ham Levels in the parishes of Barking, East Ham, West Ham and Woolwich. The development of major industrial infrastructure in the 19th century to support the growing metropolis of London caused an increase in population with housing built in the area for workers of the Beckton Gas Works and Beckton Sewage Treatment Works. The area has a convoluted local government history and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. Between 1981 and 1995 it was within the London Docklands Development Corporation area, which caused the population to increase as new homes were built and the Docklands Light Railway was constructed.

Chelmsley Wood, sometimes called just Chelmsley, is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England, with a population of 12,453. It is located near Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. It lies about eight miles east of Birmingham and 5 miles to the north of Solihull. The town is also close to both Coleshill and Water Orton in Warwickshire, the county the area was historically part of.

The Cassiobury Estate is a suburban residential area of Watford in Hertfordshire, England. It is bounded to the south by Cassiobury Park, the main public park in the town, to the west by playing fields next to the River Gade, and to the northeast by Hempstead Road. It is mostly characterised by 1930s Mock Tudor houses.

Carntyne is a suburban district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde, and in the east end of the city. it has formed the core of the East Centre ward under Glasgow City Council, which also includes the neighbouring Riddrie and Cranhill areas.

Smith's Wood is a suburban civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands of England. It is known best for its schools and ancient woodland. The civil parish has a population of 10,476, according to the 2011 census. North Warwickshire forms its north and east boundary, Kingshurst its south, and Castle Bromwich its west. Smith's Wood also has several parks including Lanchester Park, Woodlands Green Park, and the Smith's Wood Playing Fields.

Bellway p l c is a residential property developer and housebuilder based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

Roundshaw is a housing estate and park in south Wallington and Beddington on the eastern edge of the London Borough of Sutton. Grid Ref TQ302633.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipswich Airport</span> Airport in Ipswich, England

Ipswich Airport was an airfield on the outskirts of Ipswich, Suffolk England. It was known as RAF Nacton when No. 3619 Fighter Control Unit of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force were based there.

Barking Riverside is a mixed-use development in the area of Barking, east London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is being built on land formerly occupied by Barking Power Station, adjacent to the River Thames, and is 10.5 miles (16.9 km) east of Charing Cross. The 440 acre brownfield site has planning permission for 10,800 homes.

Wigmore is a suburb of Luton about 2 miles (3.2 km) east north-east of the town centre, and a ward of the Borough of Luton, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The suburb is roughly bounded by Telscombe Way and Someries Hill to the north, Wigmore Park to the south, Buckingham Drive and Wigmore Lane to the west, and rural Hertfordshire to the east.

Gainsborough is an area of Ipswich, in the Ipswich district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It was named after the artist Thomas Gainsborough of Sudbury, who lived in Ipswich for several years. He was noted for visiting the banks of the Orwell in this area.

Kilcooley estate is a housing estate owned by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive on the outskirts of Bangor, Northern Ireland. The residents of the area are predominantly Protestant, and the area has strong links with loyalism.

Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk, England. It is a medieval port and industrial town with a strong transport history; the urban area has a population of 122,000 and currently offers urban transport services for cars, cycles and buses. In addition there are 3 railway stations and regional coach services. London Stansted Airport is accessible by the airlink coach.

Stoke is the south west part of Ipswich, Suffolk, bounded by the River Orwell and Belstead Brook. To the west lie the Chantry estates. Stoke is associated with the coming of the railway and consequent industrialisation. Nowadays it is a suburb with many housing developments.

Ipswich Road, formally the A1232, is a road in Colchester, Essex, England. It was the historic coaching route and main road to Ipswich from the Middle Ages onwards, and was part of the A12, a main road in East Anglia, until the A12 was rerouted in 1974.

The Pembury Estate is a housing estate in the London Borough of Hackney in East London next to the Hackney Downs. The Pembury Estate consists of two sections: Old Pembury and New Pembury. Old Pembury consists of 24 1930s walk-up blocks. New Pembury consists of multiple 1960s maisonettes and bungalows, and the Pembury Circus development which is composed of 268 new homes. The Pembury Estate has approximately 1,500 to 2,000 residents. It is managed by the Peabody Trust.

Landseer Park is a large open green space north of Landseer Road, in the eastern suburbs of Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It is home to the Ipswich BMX Club. National Cycle Route 51 passes through the park. It is designated a County Wildlife Site.

References

↑ "Public Art for Ravenswood". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
↑ Reporter, Jason Noble, Local Democracy (2019-08-31). "£59k funding pot to be made available to Ipswich estate". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 2022-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ Reporter, Jason Noble, Local Democracy (2019-06-26). "Decision made on new neurological injury centre in Ipswich". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 2022-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ Reporter, Jason Noble, Local Democracy (2021-03-10). "Decision made on Ravenswood 96 homes plan". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 2022-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

Map sources for Ravenswood, Ipswich

52°01′46″N1°11′44″E / 52.02943°N 1.19543°E / 52.02943; 1.19543

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Public Art for Ravenswood". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04.

[2] Reporter, Jason Noble, Local Democracy (2019-08-31). "£59k funding pot to be made available to Ipswich estate". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 2022-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[3] Reporter, Jason Noble, Local Democracy (2019-06-26). "Decision made on new neurological injury centre in Ipswich". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 2022-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[4] Reporter, Jason Noble, Local Democracy (2021-03-10). "Decision made on Ravenswood 96 homes plan". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 2022-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]