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Sister dailies’ office to become retirement flats as staff prepare for move

The offices of two sister dailies are set to become retirement living apartments and cottages after staff move out next week.

The East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star are set to close the doors of their Lower Brook Street home to the public at 4pm on Thursday.

As previously reported on HTFP, the Archant-owned titles are moving to a new base at Portman House, Princes Street, Ipswich, which officially opens next Monday.

The new building, pictured below, which will house 100 staff, was part of a complex of buildings once occupied by the Churchman and John Players cigar and cigarette company.

portman-house

Lower Brook Street had housed the EADT and Star for 50 years.

Developer McCarthy and Stone will now take over the site and transform it into retirement accommodation.

Mark Wright, the company’s regional managing director, previously said: “Our proposal provides an important opportunity to regenerate this brownfield site and deliver a sensitively-designed, high-quality development that will significantly improve the housing choices for older people in Ipswich.

“McCarthy and Stone believes the development of the site offers an important opportunity to provide much needed specialist retirement accommodation.”