Farmers’ resistance and concerns about Felixstowe transport stopped Ipswich expansion plans in 1965.
Back in 1965, there was a plan to expand Ipswich. It was part of rebuilding after World War II. A law helped create towns like Milton Keynes. Ipswich considered this expansion then.
Farming groups really opposed the idea. The agriculture ministry felt the same way. People worried about Felixstowe’s transport. So, the plans were dropped then. This was before the Orwell Bridge existed.
Harold Wilson was Prime Minister back then. He thought British towns needed changes. The expansion aimed to include several areas. Stowmarket, Woodbridge, Felixstowe, and Hadleigh were on the list.
The plan included some good things. More transport, a university, and a capital were ideas. The town would grow in every direction. A survey said Ipswich could handle it. Ipswich could reach 270,000 people.
A former MP, Sir Dingle Foot, helped with the plans. But, the agriculture ministry strongly disagreed. They thought it would hurt rural areas. Farmers worried about connecting Ipswich to nearby towns.
By 1966, most agreed on expansion, except agriculture. They didn’t want to lose farmland. The agriculture minister would fight it. He saw it as setting a bad example.
Housing and agriculture argued back and forth. Eventually, agriculture dropped its objection. But, this delay became crucial to the fate of the project.
A former Ipswich Society chairman wrote about the issue. Devaluation of sterling hurt the economy badly. Also, Felixstowe worried about road traffic. The port already put pressure on the roadways.
Construction on the Orwell Bridge began much later in 1979. It finally opened in 1982. In 1969, the housing minister canceled the Ipswich expansion plan. It wasn’t going to happen.