Regional publisher Archant has begun work on the redevelopment of its Ipswich town centre site which houses the East Anglian Daily Times and Evening Star.

The 1.7 acre site at Lower Brook Street, has been occupied by the company since 1966, but part of it was left vacant when the printing of its Suffolk titles was switched to Norwich in 2009.

The multi-million pound project is designed to create 100,000 sq ft of new offices space, including a new home for the Suffolk titles, and 45,000 sq foot of hotel and retail space.

Archant has established a joint venture partnership to develop the site with property developers Wrenbridge, with the first buildings due to be completed in late 2012.

Stuart McCreery, managing director of Archant Suffolk said: “This is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to Ipswich and to develop a purpose-built, energy-efficient building for our staff, customers and visitors.

“We look forward to working with the Council, the developers and our staff in designing a state-of-the-art solution to meet all our needs.”

Ben Coles, chief executive of Wrenbridge Land added: “We are delighted to be working with Archant as development partner on the site. Strategically, this is an important part of Ipswich town centre in need of regeneration and provides a strong opportunity to deliver a sustainable mixed use scheme

“We will be engaging various parties over the coming months including potential occupiers, to work up a design that not only enhances the area architecturally, but also economically.”