Photocall: 3pm Monday 11 July, Cattle Market car park, Bury St Edmunds (St Andrews Street South, behind Boots). First groundbreaking as test drilling starts. With representatives of St Edmundsbury Borough Council, Centros Miller and Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service.
The first stage of work on the major redevelopment of the Cattle Market site in Bury St Edmunds starts next week. Sections of the Cattle Market car park will be closed in turn to allow archaeological and soil-testing investigations to take place.
Drilling, carried out by WSP Environmental Ltd, starts on Monday afternoon (11 July) and the investigative work, including archaeological excavations, is scheduled to last for six weeks in two different phases. The first phase will see 75 spaces closed off St Andrew's Street South, behind Boots. This includes some of the disabled spaces but alternative disabled spaces will be made available near the public conveniences.
Cllr Andrew Varley, Chairman of the Cattle Market Redevelopment Working Party, said:
"This is the first practical step towards the realisation of all our ambitions for the Cattle Market project. Over the next few years we shall see a new part of Bury St Edmunds take shape, ensuring the prosperity of the whole Borough for many years to come."
John Laker, Managing Director of Centros Miller, said:
“We are delighted to be able to start the archaeological investigations and everyone involved is keen to find out what might be revealed. At the same time, our engineers will be able to establish the ground conditions and this will help us to complete the design of the foundations and structure – a vital part of our preparations for the delivery of the development.”
The first site investigations will include archaeological trenches, dug by members of Suffolk County Council's Archaeological Service. The trenches are part of an initial stage of investigation to evaluate the extent and preservation of any archaeological deposits on the site. The findings will be used to decide what further archaeological work will be needed before construction starts.
The site is outside the medieval town, which was enclosed behind a ditch and wall that ran along the line of St Andrew’s Street. Although properties developed along Risbygate and Westgate Streets from the 13th century and a ‘common way’ linking the two existed from at least 1403, this area is thought to have been largely pastoral during the medieval period. The town defences were levelled soon after the dissolution of the Abbey in 1539 to allow the town to expand, and by the time the earliest known map of the town is drawn in 1741, St Andrew's Street was well established. Evidence of lime-kilns, chalk workings and wool combing suggest that the lands to the west of St Andrew's Street, from the 16th century, became the site of industry. The livestock market was moved to the site from the town centre in 1828.
Samples will also be taken from trial pits and boreholes to assess soil conditions from various depths throughout the area. The boreholes and trial pits will be carried out using various techniques appropriate for the ground conditions across the site. The data will be used to draw up detailed designs for the development's foundations. The work is due to take place between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Signs will be displayed in the car park showing each area due to be closed and the dates of closure, with drivers being advised of alternative car parking - for just 80p a day - in the multi-deck car park off Parkway. Information will also be available on the Cattle Market project website, www.burysteds.org.uk or by email info@burysteds.org.uk or through the Cattle Market hotline 01242 256805.
Click here to view the map of the car park and closure dates.
ENDS
ISSUED BY: MARIANNE HULLAND, COMMUNICATIONS UNIT, ST EDMUNDSBURY BOROUGH COUNCIL. Tel 01284 757034. marianne.hulland@stedsbc.gov.uk
STEVE BRYSON, HALOGEN (On behalf of Centros Miller).
Tel 01242 227499 or 07970 639301. steve.bryson@halogenuk.com
