The future appearance of Bury St Edmunds’ historic town centre is to be opened up to debate after St Edmundsbury launched a consultation on plans to improve the town’s street scene.
The borough council is asking for views on its draft Streetscape Manual. The manual looks at how the unique character and quality of Bury’s historic town centre can be improved still further. It covers the historic core, stretching from Parkway and Tayfen Road to Northgate Street and Westgate Street.
The consultation has been launched to tie in with the cattle market redevelopment, and gives St Edmundsbury the opportunity to improve the quality of public spaces which adjoin and connect the site to the existing town centre. It also draws on the success of public realm improvement works carried out by the council over the last ten years.
Once the consultation is complete and the manual approved by the Sustainable Development Panel later this year, it will provide guidance on things such as street furniture and the types of materials which should be used in future enhancement projects. It will also aim to remove traffic calming measures, such as humps, bumps and signs, wherever possible and use more subtle methods to persuade motorists to slow down, such as different road surfaces. Other aspects the finished document could recommend could be creating a boulevard effect by planting trees alongside roads, resurfacing footpaths and roadways, upgrading lamp posts, introducing public art and removing some painted road markings.
Cllr Peter Stevens, Cabinet member with responsibility for the environment, said:
“The centre of Bury St Edmunds is already cherished and valued by thousands of people. We are hopeful that the guidance this manual will provide will help improve an already attractive environment still further, and I look forward to hearing people’s views.”
Anyone who wishes to comment can find copies of the Streetscape Manual in the town’s library and at the council’s offices on Angel Hill and in Western Way. People can also view the manual and make comments online by following the link from the homepage of St Edmundsbury’s website at www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk
The consultation lasts for four weeks and will run from Monday 2 October to Friday 26 October.
ENDS
LIZ HEARNSHAW, COMMUNICATIONS UNIT, ST EDMUNDSBURY BOROUGH COUNCIL. Tel 01284 757033. liz.hearnshaw@stedsbc.gov.uk
