Plans for the former Post Office site to go on display

A public exhibition of designs for 17-18 Cornhill, Bury St Edmunds, the former Post Office site in the town centre will be held in 17-18 Cornhill takes place on Wednesday 27 June from 8am to 4pm and Saturday 7 July from 8am to 4pm.

The designs follow on from the town centre masterplan consultation last year when we received some 8000 comments. It includes a new front onto St Andrews Street deliberately designed to encourage other landowners and investors to make improvements. Ownership of the former Post Office building means that the Council can also look to widen Market Thoroughfare. And it will keeps the historic Victorian frontage which is in a conservation area, while making improvements to public access.

 

There will be more images available at the exhibition plus there’s a chance to find out more information and ask questions from members of the project team.

Leader of the Council, Cllr John Griffiths said: “This is a major investment in the heart of Bury St Edmunds town centre and the future of our local economy. We hope residents and businesses will be just as excited as we are when they see what we are looking to achieve.

“We see this as a landmark development, something which will ignite the imaginations of other landowners and investors particularly in St Andrews Street South where we will create a new shop front. It will also achieve our long term ambition to widen Market Thoroughfare for the good of the town – something that we were previously unable to deliver as we didn’t own any of the buildings. These things would be very much less likely to happen had the Council not taken the initiative when it did.”

Cllr Alaric Pugh, Cabinet Member for Planning and Growth said: “These designs have already been shaped by what the public had to say during our town centre masterplan engagement last year. We have also been working alongside an advisory group which includes the representatives of businesses and other key town centre partners, and their input has been invaluable.

“This is the first project to come forward from the masterplan. It is also the first one announced under our Growth Investment Strategy which enables us to occasionally to look at schemes such as this, that won’t deliver great financial returns to the Council, investments that no commercial investor would consider, but one where we can focus on the wider social and economic benefits that can be achieved on behalf of our local residents and businesses.”

The designs also include much needed town centre housing to help toward increasing demand.