Neil MacDonald, Ipswich’s leader, sought support from executive members to make changes to the council’s proposals for a new multi-storey car park in Portman Road. The plans are meant to replace existing surface-level car parks in the area and need to be delivered before other major developments can start. These include the new aquatics centre, a site with potential for a hotel and the expansion of Ipswich Town’s Cobbold Stand. To address this, the council proposed incorporating the whole of the current Portman Road car park B into the plans, delivering a total of 718 spaces, down from the initial 749, and increasing the cost to £19.7m. This means a new planning application now needs to be submitted, expected later this month, with plans to be discussed as early as January next year.