Музей Кристоучер в Ипсуиче установил рекорд посещаемости, несмотря на сокращение часов работы

Thousands more people are visiting one of Ipswich's most treasured attractions as the borough council celebrates a raft of successes across its planning, museum and building control services. New figures show Christchurch Mansion attracted 44,400 visitors during 2025/26, comfortably beating its target despite reduced opening hours and a wider national decline in museum attendance. The museum's education programme also continued to thrive, with 2,365 school visits recorded during the year, almost double the target figure. Council officers said dedicated learning staff and outreach sessions covering Anglo-Saxon and Egyptian history had helped build strong links with local schools. The latest performance report also highlights impressive results from the council's Building Control team. Meanwhile, Ipswich's planning team continued to process major development applications efficiently, with almost every application decided within target timescales over the past three years. No major planning decisions were overturned on appeal during the period, a record the council says reflects the quality of decision-making within the service. There were, however, some challenges. The council narrowly missed targets for the proportion of planning decisions delegated to officers, while housing land supply remains under pressure following increases to government housing requirements. Appeal success rates for smaller planning applications also remained above target levels. Despite those issues, the report paints a largely positive picture of council services, with strong visitor numbers, efficient planning processes and high-performing building control functions helping support residents, businesses and developers across Ipswich. For Christchurch Mansion in particular, the figures suggest local and regional visitors are continuing to flock through its doors in growing numbers, bucking national trends and underlining its status as one of Suffolk's leading cultural attractions.