Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) Lower Brook Street, Ipswich.
Project Summary
East Anglian Heritage was commissioned to prepare a Heritage Impact Assessment supporting the conversion of 25 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich from office use to residential accommodation.
The proposal involved the conversion of the building into nine residential flats, including communal gym and office space for residents. The property forms part of a Grade II listed Georgian pair (Nos. 23–25 Lower Brook Street) located within the Central Conservation Area of Ipswich.
Planning permission and Listed Building Consent were successfully granted by Ipswich Borough Council in January 2026.
Front Elevation of 25 Lower Brook Street Ipswich © East Anglian Heritage
Heritage Impact Assessment supporting the conversion of a Grade II listed building Suffolk
The Heritage Context
25 Lower Brook Street forms part of a distinctive run of historic buildings along Lower Brook Street, including:
- Warly buildings at 19–21 Lower Brook Street;
- The Georgian terrace at 27–35 Lower Brook Street
Together these buildings form an important sequence within the conservation area, illustrating the architectural evolution of Ipswich’s historic town centre.
The significance of the building derives primarily from:
- Its Georgian street façade;
- Its architectural group value within Lower Brook Street;
- Its contribution to the character of the Central Conservation Area.
Internally, however, much of the building had already been altered during its previous conversion to office use.
The Challenge
The project required adapting the building to modern residential use while ensuring that:
- the special architectural interest of the listed building was preserved, and
- the character of the conservation area was maintained.
This required a clear understanding of which parts of the building contributed to its heritage significance and which areas could accommodate change.
EAH Heritage Strategy
East Anglian Heritage undertook detailed research and site analysis, including:
- Historic mapping analysis;
- Historic Environment Record research;
- Conservation area appraisal review;
- Detailed architectural inspection of the building.
This allowed the heritage significance of the building and its setting to be clearly defined before assessing the impact of the proposals.
Identifying Heritage Benefits
During the assessment, East Anglian Heritage identified an opportunity to enhance the appearance of the listed building within the street scene.
At the time of inspection, Nos. 23 and 25 Lower Brook Street had different paint schemes, visually breaking the architectural unity of the Georgian pair.
EAH recommended that:
- No. 25 should be repainted to match the colour scheme of No. 23, restoring the visual relationship between the buildings.
The client accepted this recommendation, creating a clear public heritage benefit by improving the architectural unity of the listed pair and enhancing the character of the conservation area.
Planning Assessment
The Heritage Impact Assessment concluded that:
- Most internal alterations would occur within modern office extensions, with no impact on historic fabric;
- Limited internal subdivision would result in very low-level less-than-substantial harm.
These minor impacts were clearly outweighed by the public benefits of the scheme, including:
- Conservation and repair of the historic façade;
- Improved architectural presentation of the listed pair;
- Bringing the building into sustainable residential use.
Outcome
Ipswich Borough Council granted:
- Full Planning Permission
Application Ref: IP/25/00754/FUL - Listed Building Consent
Application Ref: IP/25/00772/LBC
Both consents were issued on 28 January 2026.
The decision confirmed that the proposals would successfully conserve the heritage asset while enabling its continued use.
EAH Insight
Heritage planning is not only about assessing harm, it is also about identifying opportunities to enhance historic places.
In this project, a relatively small design change restored the architectural unity of a Georgian listed pair, improving the wider character of Lower Brook Street.
View of 23 and 25 Lower Brook Street within the street scene © East Anglian Heritage
East Anglian Heritage is proud to be
Member of FAME
Federation of Archaeological Managers and Employers, the archaeological trade body
Member of the Suffolk Design Collective
Suffolk Design Collective is a professional network bringing together architects, designers, planners and built-environment specialists working collaboratively to promote high quality design and placemaking across Suffolk.
