Councillors have agreed to waive a developer's £250,000 requirement as plans to turn a town's former gym into flats were backed again.
Ipswich councillors were asked this morning to approve plans to turn the former Gym & Trim Health Club building, in Lower Orwell Street, into 16 new flats.
They had approved Aspen Build's proposals back in June, subject to legally-binding contributions of more than £250,000 to fund services around education, libraries and open space.
However, the applicant came back to the council asking for the contribution to be waived after its financial viability assessment deemed the scheme unviable.
The assessment concluded the applicant would stand to profit around 10 per cent of the development's total value, well below the Government's suitability guidance of between 15 and 20 per cent.
The council hired an independent consultant, who found the picture could even be worse than the applicant suggested.