18th March 2008
BT seeks further feedback on its vision for Adastral Park
BT will be seeking feedback from local communities on its emerging vision to regenerate Adastral Park and surrounding land. A series of showcase events will be held between Saturday 29 March and Thursday 3 April in the communities situated close to the park, and all members of the public are invited.
Adastral Park is recognised as one of the most important sites in the East of England Plan. The surrounding land owned by BT has also been identified by Suffolk Coastal District Council as having the potential to accommodate a proportion of the District’s future housing and related development.
BT first announced its future vision for Adastral Park in September 2007 and has been consulting with a number of key stakeholder organisations, including local parish councils, interest groups and residents’ associations.
BT now wishes to share this emerging vision with the local community, to give them an opportunity to view the proposals first-hand, understand how BT is responding to the initial feedback received and to give residents an opportunity to comment through a series of showcase events.
Phil Dance, Senior Manager at Adastral Park said: “BT Adastral Park is home to world-leading communications technology and innovation. To maintain this position, we need to modernise and update our facilities here in Martlesham. We have a unique opportunity to develop a living and working environment that creates a truly 21st century sustainable community. A community that continues to support the local economy through jobs, investment and education collaboration. We are keen to share our vision on what can be achieved at Adastral Park and gather valuable feedback from local people.”
BT’s vision for Adastral Park includes:
- Creating 21st century accommodation through a major transformation of the existing commercial buildings, which will help to 'future-proof' the park and deliver new jobs.
- Utilising the latest thinking on sustainable and environmentally efficient technologies.
- The development of a new residential community, including educational facilities, shops and leisure facilities, designed to provide a truly sustainable development.
- Building on the park's history and traditions to ensure that it stays synonymous with innovation and success, and that its contribution to the local economy will increase through new jobs and new opportunities for business and education.
Further details on the vision will be provided at the showcase events, which have been designed to ensure that they are easy for people to get to and to give local residents every opportunity to view and ask questions about BT’s proposals for Adastral Park.
Adastral Park is one of BT’s most important UK facilities. It is home to more than 4,000 highly skilled employees and researchers, leads the company’s work in R&D, and contributes significantly to BT’s ability to innovate and stay ahead of the game in highly competitive global markets.
For further information:
Paul Hayward, BT Communications Manager, Tel 07801 759627, Email paul.2.hayward@bt.com
or
Ben Copithorne / Paul Teverson, Camargue, Tel: 020 7636 7366, Email bcopithorne@camarguepr.com / pteverson@camarguepr.com
Details are also available at www.adastralvision.com
Dates for the showcase events:
Over 19,000 leaflets have been delivered to local residents inviting them to attend the following events:
Saturday 29 March, 10am – 5pm |
Shire Hall, Woodbridge |
Monday 31 March, 10am – 8pm |
Waldringfield Village Hall |
Tuesday 1 April, 2pm – 8pm |
St Michael’s and All Angels Church Community Centre, Martlesham Heath |
Wednesday 2 April, 10am – 8pm |
Kesgrave War Memorial Community Centre |
Thursday 3 April 2008, 2pm – 8pm |
St Michael’s and All Angels Church Community Centre, Martlesham Heath |
All BT Group news releases can be accessed at our web site: www.bt.com/newscentre
Notes to Editors:
BT land at Martlesham
BT owns Adastral Park and the 100 acres (40 hectares) on which the current buildings have been developed. BT also owns a further 250 acres (100 hectares) to the east and south of the currently developed area. Much of this has been used for industrial / quarrying activity and could be restored and aesthetically landscaped within the vision. BT’s vision also involves options for working in partnership with adjacent landowners.
About BT
BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; higher-value broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.
In the year ended 31 March 2007, BT Group plc’s revenue was £20,223 million with profit before taxation of £2,484 million.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.
For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt
