Travel

13.33 Public transport in Bury St Edmunds and the construction of a new bus station in the 1990s means most bus and coach services now depart or arrive at one point in the town. The success of the initiative has been so great that there may be a need for an extension to the bus station during the life of this Local Plan. The St Andrew's Street North public car park is located to the west of the bus station. It is proposed that the car park is extended by means of an additional decked layer to keep an adequate level of shoppers car parking in the town. It would be appropriate for an extension to the bus station to be included as part of any improvements at St Andrew's Street North car park.

POLICY BSE10: ST ANDREWS STREET NORTH

St Andrews Street (North) Car Park is identified on the Proposals Map for the extension of the Bury St Edmunds Bus Station as part of proposals for enhanced car parking provision on the site.

13.34 Bus based park and ride schemes have been introduced successfully in a number of towns and cities in the region. However, it is generally agreed that such facilities can only be successful if they are part of an overall strategy of travel demand management. An examination of the need for park and ride in Bury St Edmunds has taken place on a number of occasions. A review of public transport services in Bury St Edmunds by consultants in 1997 concluded that there was limited potential for such a scheme. The Borough Council will continue to review this potential as part of the management of public car parking in the town.

13.35 Elsewhere in Bury St Edmunds the pressure to provide sufficient car parking at existing businesses is proving difficult to meet. The West Suffolk Hospital and West Suffolk College are both examples where a large number of journeys are made to the site by car. As the development of these and other sites continues, it may be appropriate to consider whether park and ride might be an appropriate alternative to providing parking within the site. Any proposals for this use should include measures to make up for any loss of town centre shoppers' parking spaces.

POLICY BSE11: PARK AND RIDE - BURY ST EDMUNDS

Bus based park and ride in Bury St Edmunds should be located on sites:

• i) close to a major radial approach route;
  ii) which minimise the likelihood of abstraction of passengers from conventional bus services; and
  iii) capable of expansion and/or of serving other locations should demand exist or arise.

13.36 With considerable new development planned for Bury St Edmunds, it is considered essential that the opportunity to travel by rail should be enhanced. It is proposed to construct a new railway station in the vicinity of Bury St Edmunds which will serve both recent and planned development in and around the town. The facility should also be capable of serving as a transport interchange between the car, rail, buses and other modes of travel. It is expected that the station will be developed in partnership with the railway infrastructure provider, county council, rail operators and developers, with the latter being expected to contribute towards the construction of the station.

POLICY BSE12: NEW RAILWAY STATION

Land at Moreton Hall is allocated on the Proposals Map for the provision of an additional railway halt to serve the Bury St Edmunds area. The site should also provide:

• a) Car parking
• b) Bus stops; and
• c) Cycle and pedestrian access and secure cycle parking.